His Housekeeper
by Princess Whit
Summary: Mark Calaway aka The Undertaker a professional wrestler for WWE needs a housekeeper to take care of his house and bills while he is on the road. He hires Elizabeth Andrews for the job, but has no idea of the secret she hides.
1. Chapter 1

Elizabeth Andrews- 25 year old who answers Mark's ad for a live in housekeeper

Mark Callaway- 43 year old professional wrestler who is currently signed with World Wrestling Entertainment

I do not own or make any profit from Mark Callaway aka The Undertaker, World Wrestling Entertainment, or any other WWE character in this story.

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Elizabeth stood in front of the big, two-story, brick house in the cool, but sunny September air. She looked down at the crumpled paper in her hand where she had scribbled the address from the ad in the newspaper. She checked the house address to the address she had scribbled down last night before she went to bed. "This is the place." She said softly to herself, as she marveled at the big house. She had no idea who Mr. Mark Callaway was, but he indeed had a beautiful house.

Elizabeth gathered up her courage and began to walk up the stairs leading to the house. Upon reaching the front door, she rang the door bell and waited. A couple of minutes later, the door swung open and Elizabeth was starring up into the green eyes of a very big, frowning man. "I'm looking for Mr. Callaway." Elizabeth said quietly. "I'm Mr. Callaway." The big man said. Elizabeth looked at the big man in surprise. She had expected Mr. Callaway to be an elderly man or a family man of some sort who needed help keeping up with his house, but this man seemed to be neither.

"I'm here about the job." She stammered, a little intimidated by the man's presence. Mark looked at the young woman. What was a pretty, little thing like this doing inquiring about a housekeeping job? He wondered to himself. Mark cleared his mind and said, "Yes, please come in." Mark led her down the hall to the large den. "Please, have a seat." Mark told her, going to the bar to pour himself a drink. Without glancing up Mark asked, "Would you like a drink?" "No thank you." Elizabeth said, looking around the lavishly furnished room. It was beautiful and elegant to say the least.

Mark took a seat in the big overstuffed chair across from where she sat on the sofa. "So to start, I guess I could introduce myself." Mark said, taking a sip of his drink. "I'm Mark Callaway. And you are?" "I'm Elizabeth Andrews." She said, reaching out to shake Mark's extended hand. Mark drew his hand back and took in her features. She is stunning he thought. She had reddish brown hair that reached a little past her shoulders and curled slightly around her pretty face, with light brown eyes. Her skin was a creamy ivory color and her cheeks were flushed from the crisp October morning air.

Mark brought himself back from thought. "So, why do you want to be my housekeeper?" He asked her, noting the way she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Elizabeth for sure wasn't going to tell him the real reason she needed the job, so she thought a moment before she spoke. She remembered reading about the local factory in the town laying people off, so she put two and two together. "I used to work at Peterson's Factory, until I got laid off." She said, making her story up as she went. She continued, "I need money to pay my bills and there's not much to offer in this small town." Elizabeth said with a slight laugh. Mark nodded in agreement. There really wasn't much to offer in this little town. If you were lucky enough to find a job, you had better keep it. Mark asked her a few more questions and carefully listened to Elizabeth's answers.

Mark drew in a deep breath and looked at the young woman. "I'll give you the job Ms. Andrews, but I want you to be fully aware of the requirements before you accept the position." "I am a professional wrestler and I am on the road all but three days a week." "You will be required to live here, since I am gone so much I need someone to stay in my house and keep up the cleaning, laundry, and to pay my bills for me so that I don't have to worry about it." "When I am home, I expect you to cook for me, since I have to eat out so much when I am on the road." Elizabeth nodded. She had no problem with living here, since she couldn't afford to continue to pay rent for her crummy apartment.

They spent the next twenty minutes talking about the requirements of the position, before Mark took down her address and promised to have a moving van meet her at her apartment at 10:00 am the next day. He wanted her to move in as soon as possible, since he would be leaving on the road again in two days. Mark showed Elizabeth to the door and told her goodbye. He made his way back down the hall to the den where he sighed, flopped down into his big easy chair, and turned on ESPN. Something told him, that hiring someone to live with him that he found that attractive was a bad idea.


	2. Chapter 2

As Elizabeth walked along the sidewalk on the way home, she thought about Mark. He hadn't been very expressive, but he sure was handsome. He was all muscle and he had short red hair, a goatee, and these green eyes that you could drown in. Elizabeth had never really been attracted to tattoos either, but when she was talking to Mark she kept finding her gaze drifting to the tattoos that covered his arms completely from what she could see.

Elizabeth tried to shake her thoughts of Mark from her head as she reached her apartment building. She walked the two creaky flights of stairs to the second floor where her apartment was and was about to try to unlock the door, when she noticed it was already open. Elizabeth was pretty sure she had locked the door on the way out, even though she was pretty certain she didn't have anything valuable enough that a thief would want to steal it.

She thought to herself that she just must not have locked it and went inside. She threw her black coat onto her worn out couch and went into the small kitchen to make some hot tea to try and warm herself from the cool September air. She put some water into a kettle and put it onto the stove to boil. She turned around to get the tea out of the cupboard when she ran into a hard chest. A gasp from fright escaped Elizabeth's lips as she looked up to see who she had run into.

"It's only you Geoff." Elizabeth said, starting to calm down. "Hello Liz." Geoff said, as he looked down at her. "What are you doing here?" Elizabeth asked him. "I came to see how you were doing." Geoff said with a smirk on his face. "How I'm doing?" Elizabeth said, the irritation rising in her voice. "How do you think I am doing, since I got pregnant and you left me with no money?" She yelled at him. "You seem to be making it." Geoff said, with almost a slight laugh.

Elizabeth sank into a kitchen chair and tried not to let the tears that had formed in her eyes fall. Geoff came up behind Elizabeth and put his hand on her shoulder. He knew she was near tears. "Sweetie, it's not your fault that I left you." Geoff said. "It's just that I am one of the best doctors in the state of Texas and there is no way that I can let people know that I had a relationship with a piece of white trash and now she is having my baby."

Elizabeth jumped up out of her chair. "Get out!" She screamed at him. Elizabeth just wanted to hit him. Hit him until she made him feel as bad as he had made her feel. Knowing though, that she couldn't win a fight against him, she kept the urge at bay. "I came by for a purpose, so before I leave I'm going to fulfill that purpose." Geoff smiled at her. All the color drained from Elizabeth's face as she realized what he was meaning. "I want nothing more to do with you." Elizabeth said, turning her back to him. "That's okay." Geoff whispered in her ear. "You don't have to be willing."

With those words, Elizabeth tried to run for the front door, but Geoff grabbed a handful of her hair first. Elizabeth yelped in pain. "We can do this the easy way or we can do this the hard way." Geoff said, crushing her lips in a brutal kiss. "Geoff!" "Please!" Elizabeth protested. Geoff roughly fondled her breasts as Elizabeth continued to protest. "Geoff please the baby!" Elizabeth begged. "Shut up!" Geoff screamed and with that he drew back his arm and hit her.

The blow caught Elizabeth right below her right eye. Elizabeth sat in a heap on the floor in shock. Geoff had never hit her before. She couldn't believe what was happening to her. Geoff leaned down just inches from her face. "I don't give a fuck about this baby." Geoff breathed. "I don't even want it." "If you don't cooperate, I'll make sure that you don't have this baby." "I promise you that Elizabeth." Elizabeth tired to think through the fear and her tears. This baby wasn't planned, but it was her baby and she wanted it.

"Fine." Elizabeth whispered. Geoff smiled with sick pleasure. "Get up then and go to the bedroom." Geoff instructed her. Elizabeth did as she was told and went down the narrow hall to her bedroom with Geoff right behind her. "Take off your clothes." Geoff told her. "Geoff please…" Elizabeth began, but Geoff cut her off. "Now!" He yelled. Elizabeth managed to strip her clothes off, but it was quite difficult between her shakes and sobs.

Geoff pushed her onto the bed and grabbed her hair and tilted her head up to look at him. "Now, you are going to suck me." He said, unbuckling his pants. The next hour was hell for Elizabeth. She had sobbed the whole time that Geoff had forced himself upon her. She was just so grateful that now it was over. Geoff finished dressing and turned to look at her. "See, that wasn't so bad." He said, stroking her hair. Elizabeth pulled away from him. The last thing she wanted right now, was for him to be touching her.

Geoff turned and walked to the doorway. Before he left the room, he turned and looked at Elizabeth. "If you tell anyone about our meeting, I promise Liz you won't have that baby." Elizabeth starred at him, the fear showing in her eyes. She didn't relax and let it all out until she heard her front door close. Elizabeth then buried her face into her pillow and cried.


	3. Chapter 3

Elizabeth had stopped crying about an hour ago, but she couldn't bring herself to get out of bed. She thought back to when she had first met Geoff. She had been 23 and Geoff had been 31. They had met in a local bar here in Jefferson, Texas. Geoff had flirted with her and told her how beautiful she was. They had ended up sleeping together about a month later and a relationship had kind of formed from there.

They had only been together for about 4 months, when Geoff asked her to quit her job as a receptionist at Clinkingbeard Law Firm and move in with him. He had told her that he wanted to take care of her and support her and stupidly Elizabeth thought, she had believed him. Now that she thought about it, Elizabeth realized that her and Geoff had never really went anywhere in public together. He had never really taken her on dates, to dinner, or to the movies. Hell, they had never even went grocery shopping together.

At the time Elizabeth had told herself that Geoff was too tired to do these things, since he worked so much. After all, he was one of the best and most respected OB/GYN doctors in Texas. Now that Elizabeth looked back upon the whole situation, she realized that the reason they had never done anything in public together, was because he was ashamed of her. He didn't want to be seen in public with her, he was afraid that it would hurt his image because she didn't come from an upper class family. Everything had been perfect or so she thought, until four weeks ago when she told him that she was pregnant.

Elizabeth sighed and drug herself out of bed. She walked into her cramped bathroom and turned the shower on. She needed to wash his brutal and horrible touch off of herself. The hot, stinging spray of the shower felt good against her back. She grabbed the bar of soap off of the shower caddy and lathered her body up. She kept scrubbing at her skin, trying to get the feel of him off of her.

Elizabeth let the spray of the shower hit her, as her mind drifted to her parents. Elizabeth had never known her mother. She had died giving birth to Elizabeth. Elizabeth's father was a kind man, who loved his daughter very much. They had been very poor while she was growing up, but her daddy had always made sure she had what she needed. Her father had died 4 years ago of cancer and Elizabeth had been devastated. Having no siblings, she had felt so alone in the world except for her best friend Carrie. She needed someone, so maybe that is why she agreed so quickly to move in with Geoff and quit her job.

Elizabeth turned off the shower and got out. She wrapped herself in a towel and walked across the hall to her bedroom. There no use in regretting things now. What was done was done. She dried off and put on a nightgown. She combed the knots out of her hair, before going to the kitchen to look for some food. She rummaged through her cupboards and came up with peanut butter and bread. Elizabeth shrugged. Better than nothing she thought.

As she ate her sandwich, she thought about her baby. She was really worried about it. What if Geoff's attack earlier had hurt it? What if she lost it? The thought of losing her baby made Elizabeth sick to her stomach. Elizabeth was eight weeks pregnant and she still had not seen a doctor. She really wanted to for the health of the baby, but she didn't have enough money to buy groceries, so how in the world was she going to afford to go to the doctor? It's not like Geoff would help her out either.

Elizabeth got herself a drink of water, before she began to pack what few possessions she had. She had about 5 different outfits total and she realized that none of them were really that flattering and none of them would work when she got farther along in her pregnancy. She packed her books onto the neatly folded clothes, put her picture of her mother and father on top of the books and closed the lid of the box. Next she went into the bathroom and put her shampoo, conditioner, soap, razor, and hairspray into a box.

She sat her two boxes on the couch by the front door. She should have told Mr. Callaway that she wouldn't need a moving van, but she hadn't thought of it earlier. Oh well she thought as she went to the bathroom to get ready for bed. She brushed her teeth before retreating to her bedroom to go to sleep. As she lay in bed drifting off to sleep, Mark entered her thoughts. She hoped this chance at employment with him would be a big change in her life. Really though, she had no idea just how big of a change Mark was going to be in her life.


	4. Chapter 4

Elizabeth awoke the next morning to the sound of her alarm. She rolled over and switched it off. Was it morning already? It felt like she had just closed her eyes. Elizabeth sleepily made her way to the bathroom. She needed a hot shower to help her wake up. Elizabeth turned on the shower and went to brush her teeth while the water warmed up.

She quickly showered and then stepped outside of it to dry off. She had just begun to dry her curly hair, when she felt the wave of nausea hit her. Elizabeth bolted for the toilet and made it just in time as the contents of her stomach made an appearance. She sat against the side of the cool shower and tried to gather herself. She could not wait for the morning sickness part of this pregnancy to be over with.

Elizabeth got up and went to the sink to rinse the awful taste out of her mouth. She swished water in and out of her mouth quickly and dabbed at her wet lips with her bath towel. Feeling better, Elizabeth quickly dressed and french braided her silky, reddish brown hair. She looked at her reflection in the mirror and sighed. The pink, knitted sweater and jeans she was wearing weren't fabulous, but they would have to do.

Elizabeth went to the kitchen to try to find something for breakfast. She had got this job with Mr. Callaway just in time, because her groceries were about to run out. Since her stomach had been sensitive this morning, Elizabeth decided on dry toast and hot tea for breakfast. She took her time eating and let her mind roam over again what had happened last night.

Geoff had no idea that she was taking this job as Mr. Callaway's live in housekeeper, so he had no way of knowing that she was moving. Hopefully she would never have to see him again, because she knew that the baby growing up without a father would be difficult, but that in the long run it would be for the best if the child could be just kept away from Geoff.

Elizabeth spent the next hour reading. She was almost finished with her book when she heard the knock on her door. She got up off the couch and answered the door. Two men in blue jumpsuits stood before her. "Hi, we're from the All Terrain Moving Co." One of the men informed her. "Mr. Callaway sent us." Elizabeth nodded in acknowledgement and let the two men in.

"Where would you like us to start ma'am?" The man whose name patch read Souder asked her. "Well I am not taking my couch, bed, or kitchen table since all of these things will be provided at Mr. Callaway's house, so the only other things I have to take are those two boxes on the end of the couch." The men looked at each other and snickered. Souder looked at the two measly boxes and then looked back at Elizabeth.

"You mean to tell me that Mr. Callaway sent us all the way over here for two little boxes?" Souder asked Elizabeth. Elizabeth felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment. "You hear that Eddie?" Souder asked the other man, slapping him on the back. "Mr. Callaway didn't think this pretty, little lady here could move two boxes on her own!"

Elizabeth stammered through her embarrassment, "I meant to tell Mr. Callaway that I would not be requiring a moving van, I just didn't think of it." The two men still laughing about it with each other, picked up the two boxes and made their way downstairs to the moving van. Elizabeth tried not to let the two men get to her. Their laughter had hurt though. Who were they to laugh at her misfortune? Elizabeth shook the two men and their laughter from her head. She took one last look around at the little, crummy apartment that she had called home for the last month, before closing the front door and locking it behind her.

When she reached the bottom of the flight of stairs, she walked over to the landlord's door and slipped the key under it. She walked outside to the front of the building to find the moving van and a black car parked along side the curb. A man in a pin striped suit called to her. "Ms. Andrews." "Hello." Elizabeth greeted the man. "My name is Wilson." The man told her. "Mr. Callaway has hired me to drive you to his house." Elizabeth nodded and got into the car as Wilson held the door for her.

The drive to Mark's house was short. When they arrived, Wilson opened her door for her and helped Elizabeth out. The moving van pulled in behind them and Souder and Eddie got out to open up the back of the van. Elizabeth starred up at the big house. Wow, this was going to be her new home.


	5. Chapter 5

Mark looked out the window of his home that overlooked his big, well kept front yard. She was here. God she was beautiful. Mark shook his head. No! No! No! He thought to himself. His last marriage had not worked out, what in the world made him think that a relationship with this pretty, little lady would work out either?

Mark thought back to his last marriage. They were married for six years and the marriage ended in utter humiliation for Mark. Things had been going good or so Mark had thought, until he had brought up the subject of having children to Melanie. Melanie didn't want children. She was young and she didn't want to have to be tied down with the burden of children.

Mark on the other hand nearing forty, felt completely different. He was ready to be a daddy and to settle down. Hell, if his marriage to Melanie would have lasted, he would have probably retired from wrestling by now. After the blow of his marriage ending so distastefully though, Mark had stayed in the business to keep busy and to try to forget Melanie.

He had really loved Melanie, maybe that was why it had hurt so much when he came home early from being on the road to surprise her and found her in their bed with another man. Mark had drug the other man out of the house with Melanie running behind them pleading with Mark to stop. Mark had beat the fuck out of the guy to say the least. He was furious about the whole situation.

Melanie had tried to explain her actions to Mark, saying that she still cared about him it was just that he wasn't home enough to satisfy her needs. Mark didn't want to hear it though. He simply told her to pack her shit and stay the fuck out of his life. Which she did except for the occasional visit when she came to pick up her check that the court ordered Mark to pay her every month.

Mark brought himself back to reality. He opened the front door and stepped outside onto the front porch. "Ms. Andrews." Mark said, crossing the distance between them to shake the woman's hand. "Hello." Elizabeth said, taking Mark's extended hand. "Here, I will show you to your room." Mark offered, turning to head for the house. He hollered back over his shoulder for Souder and Eddie to bring Elizabeth's things up to her room.

Elizabeth followed Mark into the house and up the big staircase. Mark walked a little ways down the second floor hall before stopping before a door. "This is one of my guestrooms." Mark told her as he swung open the bedroom door. "It has its own bathroom also." Elizabeth marveled at the room in wonder.

It was beautiful. It had a big four poster bed in the middle with a lovely white bed set and tons of pillows. There was a big oak dresser, a vanity table with a mirror, and a couple of sitting chairs. The closet in the room was the biggest closet that Elizabeth had ever seen. Mark could see the amazement in her eyes. "This is the bathroom." Mark informed her, switching on the light so that she could get a look at it.

The bathroom was as exceptional as the bedroom was. It had a huge tub that could turn into a jacuzzi, a big rack of fluffy towels, and another rack filled with soaps and candles. "What do you think?" Mark asked her, enjoying the look of marvel in her eyes. "It is wonderful." Elizabeth said, as she turned and flashed him a smile. God, she was even more beautiful when she smiled. The clearing of a throat made them both turn around. Souder and Eddie stood in the bedroom holding Elizabeth's two boxes.

"Here are her things Mr. Callaway." Eddie said, as him and Souder set the two boxes on the floor of the bedroom. "No, no." Mark said. "I want you to bring all of her things up here now." The two men looked at each and began to snicker once again. "These are all of her things." Souder said, pointing to the two boxes on the floor.

Mark looked confused for a moment. Where were all of her things? He looked at Elizabeth and seen the embarrassment written all over her face. He thanked Souder and Eddie and told them that their work was done here. After Souder and Eddie left the room, Mark turned to once again look at Elizabeth. He didn't want to say anything else about her few possessions, because he could clearly see that she was embarrassed.

"Go ahead and unpack Ms. Andrews and when you're finished I'll meet you downstairs in the den." Elizabeth replied, "Okay." With that Mark turned and left. Elizabeth was so glad that Mark had not asked any further questions about how few possessions she owned.

She didn't want him to know what had happened to cause her to be in this situation. The only person who knew everything besides her and Geoff was her best friend Carrie. Elizabeth began to unpack. She put the few outfits that she had into the closet and her panties, bras, and socks into the dresser. She stacked the books on her dresser and put the picture of her parents beside them.

Next she sat the can of hairspray at her vanity table and put the shampoo, condition, soap, and razor in a cabinet in the bathroom. Elizabeth sat the two empty boxes by the door before heading down the stairs to the den.


	6. Chapter 6

Mark sat in the den waiting for Elizabeth to finish unpacking. He sighed and ran a hand through his short red hair. He really was going to have to keep some distance between himself and Elizabeth, because he was definitely attracted to her. The whole time he was showing her the room where she would be staying, he kept having the urge to reach out and stroke her silky hair.

Mark didn't let himself get emotional with women anymore. They usually were all after his money anyway, after all he had thought that Melanie had loved him, but now he realized that the only thing she had loved was his wealth. No man in their right mind could have blamed him for falling in love with Melanie though. She was gorgeous, gorgeous and manipulative.

He was brought out of his thoughts, when Elizabeth entered the room and said, "Mr. Callaway?" Mark looked up at her slim, curvy figure in the doorway. "Finished?" He asked her, standing up. Elizabeth nodded. Mark walked towards her and smiled. "Good then, I will give you a tour of the rest of the house now."

The rest of Mark's house was as lavish as the other parts that Elizabeth had seen. He had a pool, a billiard room, a library, a gym, and a big garden in the back yard. Mark told Elizabeth to feel free to use and to go anywhere in the house. After the tour was over, they went to the kitchen. "So, how about fixing some lunch?" Mark said to Elizabeth. Elizabeth nodded. "Does anything in particular sound good?" She asked him as she went over to the fridge to look and see what she had to work with.

Mark replied, "Anything will be fine, as long as it is a home cooked meal." Elizabeth told him that she would figure out something to cook for lunch and that she would holler at him when it was time to eat. After Mark had left the kitchen, Elizabeth began to rummage through the fridge, trying to figure out what to make for lunch.

Elizabeth had just reached into the crisper drawer to pull some vegetables out when another wave of nausea hit her. She had to sit down. Elizabeth shakily wobbled over to a kitchen chair and sat down. She then closed her eyes and prayed that she was not going to throw up. About twenty minutes passed before Elizabeth felt good enough to get up out of the chair.

She then went to the kitchen sink to get a drink before she began to make the vegetable beef stew for lunch. Elizabeth walked into the living room where Mark was reclined in an easy chair, watching ESPN. "Mr. Callaway, lunch is ready." Elizabeth said, still a little nauseous. Mark shook his head. "I'll be there is just a minute." He told her, without looking away from the television.

Elizabeth walked back down the hall to the kitchen. She opened the cabinets and began to search for bowls. After a few minutes, she was able to locate two bowls and two spoons. She then walked into the dinning room and set the table. Mark came into the kitchen and sat down at one of the places. "What are we having?" He asked her. "Vegetable beef stew." Elizabeth replied, turning to go back into the kitchen to get the stew.

Mark watched her as she served the stew into the two glass bowls. She looked a little pale, but none the less beautiful. He waited until she had sat down at the place across from him, before he began to eat. His mouth rejoiced at the taste of the stew. This was the best stew he had ever eaten in his life. The girl could cook, there was no doubt about that. "This stew is excellent Ms. Andrews." Mark said, looking up from his bowl to smile at her.

Elizabeth smiled back, "Thank you." She was glad that Mark liked her cooking. It made her feel a little less nervous around him for some reason. Elizabeth stirred the stew in her bowl. She still felt kind of nauseous, so she really didn't feel much like eating. However, she managed to get a little bit of the stew down with some help from the water she was drinking.

After they were finished eating, Elizabeth cleared the table. She was loading the dishes into the dishwasher when Mark came into the kitchen. "I'm going out Ms. Andrews." Mark told her, as he pulled on his black leather jacket. "I have a motorcycle shop in town and I need to go check in on it while I am at home."

Elizabeth wiped her hands on a dish towel. "Alright." She said, as she tossed the towel onto the kitchen counter. "Feel free to relax and get settled in the rest of the night." He told her. "Tomorrow I will have a list of things for you that need to be done." Elizabeth nodded. Mark smiled at her and then said goodbye.

Elizabeth then heard him open the garage door and pull his truck out. God, he was so handsome she thought to herself. Too bad she was just the hired help. Elizabeth sighed and started up the staircase. Maybe a nice hot bubble bath would relax her and make her feel better.


	7. Chapter 7

Elizabeth turned on the water in the big tub in her bathroom. She went over to the rack on the wall that was filled with the candles and soaps and picked a lavender scented bubble bath. She poured the soap into the hot, running water and watched the bubbles begin to form. When the tub got full enough, she turned off the water, stripped off her clothes and got into the hot, soapy water.

The water felt so good to her still nauseous body. Elizabeth laid back against the big tub and closed her eyes. She began to think about her baby once again. She really had to go see a doctor as soon as possible. She silently vowed that somehow, someway she would afford a doctor.

Elizabeth finished her bath and then grabbed a big, fluffy, white towel off of the other rack on the wall. She dried herself off and then wrapped the big towel around herself, before heading into her bedroom to get dressed. It was only 4:00 pm, so Elizabeth decided to dress in jeans and a red sweat shirt. After dressing, Elizabeth grabbed the book she was currently reading and went downstairs.

She went to the den where her and Mark had meet earlier before lunch. She looked at the fireplace. It was a little chilly in here, she wondered if it worked? She pushed the black button on the wall above the mantel and the fireplace roared to life. Elizabeth smiled and said to herself aloud, "That's better." Thanks to the fireplace, the den became warm and cozy.

Elizabeth spent the next hour curled up on the black, leather sofa in front of the fireplace lost in her book. When she finished the book, she sat it on the floor and stretched out on the sofa. She would just lay here a few minutes and rest, before she went to find something to eat for dinner.

When Mark returned home, the house was dark. Where was Elizabeth? It was only 8:00 pm, surely she wasn't asleep already. He unlocked the front door and walked inside. It appeared that she had already retired for the night. Mark shrugged and put his keys on the table by the front door. Maybe she was really tired? He thought to himself as he walked down the hall to the den to pour himself a drink.

He was about halfway down the hall, when he realized the glow coming from inside the den. Did he leave the fireplace on? He wondered to himself. He made his way through the doorway and there she was.

She was curled up on the sofa in front of the fireplace. Mark walked towards her. He leaned down and brushed the silky curls off of her face. God, she was so beautiful. He placed a hand on her shoulder and gently shook her. "Ms. Andrews?" He said softly.

Elizabeth stirred and her eyes fluttered open. Mark was standing right above her. What was going on? She must have fallen asleep she decided. "Mr. Callaway." Elizabeth began. "I was reading and I just closed my eyes…I guess I must have fallen asleep."

Mark was trying really hard not to laugh. She was just so damn cute with that sleepy look on her face. "It's alright." He said. "I just woke you, because I thought that you might be more comfortable in your own bed." Elizabeth nodded and replied, "I suppose you're right." She then picked up her book and got up off the sofa.

Before Elizabeth reached the doorway, she turned around. "Mr. Callaway?" "Yeah?" Mark said, looking up from the bar where he was pouring himself a drink. "Would you mind if I fixed myself something to eat before I go to bed?" With his drink in hand, Mark walked towards her. "You don't have to ask Ms. Andrews, you live here too now." "If you want something, get it."

Elizabeth smiled, "Thank you." Mark smiled back at her and replied, "You're welcome." With that Elizabeth left the den and headed towards the kitchen. Her nausea had passed and now her appetite was back. She fixed herself a roast beef sandwich and a glass of milk.

When Elizabeth had finished eating, she loaded her dirty dishes into the dishwasher and started up the staircase towards her room. She brushed her teeth and put on a yellow night gown before climbing into bed. As Elizabeth lay in her bed, she thought more about Mark. He was so nice and wonderful, she just wished that she could get to know him better and maybe one day become more than just his housekeeper.

Elizabeth pushed the silly thoughts out of her head. She knew deep down that Mark would never see her as anything but his housekeeper. Elizabeth sighed and rolled over on her side, before finally drifting off into an uneasy sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

Elizabeth awoke the next morning when her alarm went off. She had set it for 6:00 am, so that she could get up and have time to fix breakfast for Mark. Elizabeth rolled out of bed and walked over to her practically empty closet. From the few outfits she had, she chose a pair of gray sweats and a black t-shirt. She quickly dressed and made her way over to her vanity table. She brushed her curls and put them into a high ponytail on her head.

Elizabeth then went downstairs. The first thing she did when she got to the kitchen, was start coffee. She had looked through the cabinets and was unable to find any decaf for herself. Oh well Elizabeth shrugged, a little caffeine wouldn't hurt the baby.

She continued to dig through the cabinets and fridge, until she decided to make pancakes, bacon, toast, and eggs for breakfast. Elizabeth sat everything that she was going to need on the kitchen table and began to prepare breakfast.

Mark awoke to the smell of fresh coffee brewing. He climbed out of his big bed and went into the bathroom. He showered, shaved, and dressed before heading downstairs. The aromas of breakfast cooking meet Mark halfway up the staircase.

It was good to have a woman in the house that could cook. Melanie had never been much of a cook, so their maid Mrs. Stevens had done all of their cooking. Mrs. Stevens was a good cook and all, but there was something Mark found sexy about your wife being able to cook home cooked meals.

When Elizabeth seen Mark enter the kitchen, she smiled at him. "Good morning Mr. Callaway." "Mornin." Mark said, as he poured himself a cup of coffee. "Sure smells good." He said taking a sip of the black liquid. Elizabeth flashed him a brilliant smile and said, "It will be ready in just a minute if you want to have a seat in the dining room."

Mark nodded and walked into the dining room. He took a seat at the big, oak table and drank his coffee. He could get real used to this, he thought to himself with a smile. A few minutes later, Elizabeth entered the dining room and sat a plate piled with food before Mark. Mark eagerly dug into the food as Elizabeth refilled his coffee cup.

She put the coffee pot away and took a seat at the place across from him. They ate in silence, until Mark told her that he would make a list of things that needed to be done, while she cleaned up the breakfast dishes and the kitchen. Elizabeth nodded and they both finished eating.

After Elizabeth had finished cleaning the kitchen and loading the dirty dishes into the dish washer, she went to look for Mark. She found him in the library setting behind the big desk in the middle of the room. "Mr. Callaway, I am finished with the kitchen." She told him. Mark looked up from the list he was writing. "Good, because I am just about done here."

Elizabeth looked through the shelves of books as Mark finished the list. There were so many books in here that Elizabeth wanted to read. She wondered if she would ever have time to read them all. Mark watched her as she had her back to him looking at all the books. He watched her pick books up off the shelves and flip through them.

He could probably sit here and watch her all day, but he had work to do and so did she. Mark cleared his throat and said, "Ms. Andrews?" Elizabeth sat the book she was looking at back on the shelf where she got it from and turned around. Mark continued, "Come have a seat and I will explain some stuff to you."

Elizabeth walked over to the front of the desk and took a seat. Mark handed her the list he had written out for her. "These are the things that are your responsibility." He told her, watching her look the list over. The list contained basic household chores, such as cleaning the bathrooms, dusting, moping, vacuuming, laundry, cooking, and grocery shopping.

Next, he handed her a credit card. "This is for you to use to pay bills for me, grocery shop, or anything else that you might need." Elizabeth nodded and continued to listen. "Also, there is a black 2007 Chevy Cobalt in the garage for you to drive if you need to go anywhere." He said, as he slide the key across the desk to her.

They talked a few more minutes, before Mark stood up. "I need to go down to the basement to use the gym." "Why don't you get started on that list I gave you?" "Okay." Elizabeth replied, as she got up from the chair. "Oh Ms. Andrews, before I forget there is a basket of clothes in my bedroom on the floor that I need washed before I go back on the road."

Elizabeth smiled and nodded, then turned and left the room. Mark took a deep breath and sighed. There was something about her that intrigued him. He wasn't for sure what it was, but there was definitely something about Elizabeth that drew his attention to her.


	9. Chapter 9

Elizabeth had spent the rest of the morning working on the list of chores that Mark had given her. She was almost done with the entire list. All she had left to do was laundry. Elizabeth headed toward the laundry room. When she reached the laundry room she began sorting through the hamper, trying to gather up all of the dark articles of clothing. She had began tossing the clothes into the washer, when she remembered that Mark had said there was a basket of dirty clothes in his room that he needed washed before he left for the road again.

Elizabeth took off up the stairs towards Mark's room. When she reached Mark's room, she found that his door was closed. Should she knock? Elizabeth shrugged and decided against it, in her haste to complete the list. She was pretty sure that he was still down in the gym anyways.

Elizabeth swung open the door, stepped into the bedroom and froze. Her eyes went wide with acknowledgment as she realized that Mark stood before her in nothing but a towel. Mark's eyes had shot up from the dresser drawer he was looking through to the bedroom door, when it had swung open.

It was all Mark could do, to try not to laugh. The look on her face was priceless. With amusement in his voice, he asked Elizabeth, "Did you need something Ms. Andrews?" Elizabeth's face was hot with embarrassment. Why hadn't she just knocked? "I…I…I…" Elizabeth stammered. "Yes?" Mark encouraged. "I just came up to get your dirty laundry." She finally managed to say, through her embarrassment.

Mark pointed to a white laundry basket on the floor, over by his bathroom door. "It's right over there." He told her. Elizabeth hurried across the room and grabbed the basket. She kept her gaze glued to the floor as she scurried out of the bedroom door.

Elizabeth didn't stop to think until she had reached the laundry room again. She sat the basket of dirty clothes on the floor and sat down beside them. What had she been thinking?" Why in the world hadn't she just knocked? She had been embarrassed, but she couldn't have helped but notice how sexy he looked in nothing but a towel. Elizabeth buried her face in her hands and tried to gather herself around her embarrassment.

About 20 minutes later, Mark who was now dressed appeared downstairs. Where was Elizabeth? She had run out of his bedroom pretty fast. He could tell that she was obviously embarrassed and he wanted to tell her, that it really wasn't a big deal.

He went through the house in search of her. "Ms. Andrews?" He called out. He received no answer to his call, so he continued to search for her. He was about to give up, when he heard soft sobs coming from the laundry room.

Mark walked into the laundry room and found Elizabeth sitting on the floor beside his basket of dirty clothes crying. She had her face buried in her hands, so she didn't see him or have any idea that he was there. "Ms. Andrews?" Mark said softly, just wanting to hold her and assure her that everything was fine. "Are you alright?" He said, walking towards Elizabeth.

Elizabeth looked up startled. Oh great she thought to herself. Now, she was crying in front of Mark. What else could possibly go wrong? Mark knelt down beside her. "It's okay Ms. Andrews." He said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "It's really not that big of a deal." "I mean, it was just an accident."

Elizabeth wiped a tear off her cheek and looked into his warm, green eyes. Why was he trying to comfort her? It was her fault. She hadn't knocked when she should have. "I'm so sorry…" Elizabeth began.

Mark felt sympathy for the young woman. For some reason, he wanted nothing more than to make all of her embarrassment go away. Mark thought for a second before he spoke. "How about instead of you cooking lunch this afternoon, we go out to eat?" "I don't know…" Elizabeth began, but was interrupted by Mark. "My treat, so go on and get ready." "I'll meet you in the living room in an hour."

Before Elizabeth could protest, Mark got up and left the room. He was taking her out to lunch? Why in the world, would he want to take his housekeeper out to lunch? Elizabeth wasn't for sure why Mark was taking her to lunch, but she did know that she only had an hour to get ready.


	10. Chapter 10

Mark sat in the living room waiting for Elizabeth. He had invited her to lunch and now he was second guessing his decision. Was it really a good idea to invite his housekeeper, who he was really attracted to, to lunch? Mark shook his head and cleared his mind. He should have nothing to worry about he thought to himself. After all, he had invited Elizabeth to lunch, because he had felt sympathy for her. It was not like he had asked her on a date or anything. Mark made up his mind right then and there, that he would not let their relationship get any more personal than this.

Elizabeth stood before the mirror in her bathroom. She had on khaki slacks and a black sweater. Elizabeth sighed as she took the high ponytail out of her hair and began putting her curls into a loose bun at the nape of her neck. This was the nicest outfit that she owned. She hoped that Mark would approve of it, even though it wasn't spectacular.

Mark looked down at his watch. Elizabeth should be down anytime he thought to himself, as the sound of his cell phone ringing cut his thoughts short. Mark looked at the number on the screen and cursed. He flipped open the phone and replied, "Hello Melanie."

"Hello Mark." Melanie said. Melanie waited a second before she continued. "I was wondering when you would have my check ready?" She asked him, with a coolness to her voice. Mark almost laughed into the phone. "Money was the only thing I was ever good for, huh Mel?" He said sarcastically. "Don't be an asshole Mark!" Melanie sneered into the receiver. Mark sighed. There was no way around this. He was going to have to pay her this month sooner or later, so he might as well get it over with and get her off of his back.

Mark thought before speaking. "I have to leave early tomorrow morning for the road, so I won't be home until Friday, but if you want you can stop by sometime this week and pick up the check from my housekeeper." "Your housekeeper?" Melanie asked, with curiosity in her voice. "When did you get a housekeeper Mark?" "When I decided that I needed one!" He snapped at her.

Mark spent the next couple of minutes finishing up the conversation with Melanie, before he flipped his phone shut. The woman made his temper flare. He had trusted her, loved her, and taken care of her and all she had ever cared about was his fucking money. The sight of Elizabeth entering the living room stopped his thoughts. She looked gorgeous. Her creamy skin was a little flushed and her hair was pulled back with a few curls framing her beautiful face.

"You look nice." Mark said, smiling at her. Elizabeth blushed and quietly said, "Thank you Mr. Callaway." Shall we then?" Mark said, pulling on his black leather jacket. Elizabeth nodded as Mark opened the door that lead to the garage. Mark walked around to the passenger side of his truck and opened the door for her. "Thanks." Elizabeth said, climbing into the truck cab.

Mark shut the passenger door and walked over to the driver's side and climbed into the truck cab also. He started the engine, opened the garage door, and pulled out. They sat in silence during the drive to the restaurant. Before long they pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant and Mark cut the engine. "I hope italian is alright." He said, pulling his key from the ignition. Elizabeth smiled, "I love italian."

When they got inside the restaurant, the maitre d' seated them at a booth in the corner of the restaurant. Mark sat on one side of the booth, Elizabeth sat on the other. A couple of minutes after they had sat down, the waiter approached them. "Good afternoon." The waiter replied with a smile. "Can I get you anything to drink?" He asked, handing menus to both Mark and Elizabeth. Mark nodded, "Bring us a bottle of your finest wine." The waiter nodded in acknowledgment and left to go get the wine.

Oh no. Elizabeth thought to herself. Mark was expecting her to drink. She was almost 9 weeks pregnant, there was no way that she could drink with lunch. Elizabeth shifted uncomfortably in her seat as she tried to think of an excuse as to why she couldn't have a glass of wine with lunch.

Mark noticed Elizabeth shifting nervously in her seat. "Are you alright?" He asked her, concern etched on his face. Elizabeth meet his eyes with her gaze. "Yes…" "I…I…It's just that…I don't really drink." Mark smiled at her from across the table. "You don't drink, huh?" He said with a chuckle. "No." Elizabeth said, looking down at the table. Great, Elizabeth thought to herself. Now, Mark probably thought she was really immature since she said she didn't drink.

"That's alright." Mark said. "I'll drink the wine and you order whatever you want to drink." Elizabeth looked up at Mark with a smile. "Thanks." They made small talk, as they waited for the waiter to return with the wine. Both Mark and Elizabeth tired to ignore the attraction that lingered between them as they talked.


	11. Chapter 11

Mark and Elizabeth continued to make small talk, until the waiter returned to the table with the wine. "Here is your wine sir." The waiter said, setting the bottle down in front of Mark. "Thanks." Mark replied. "I believe the lady would prefer something else to drink though." Mark told the waiter, nodding his head towards Elizabeth.

The waiter smiled at Elizabeth. "What can I get you miss?" Elizabeth smiled back and replied, "Just an iced tea please." The waiter nodded and once again left to retrieve a drink. Mark opened the bottle of wine and poured himself a glass. They sat in silence looking at the menus, with Mark sipping his wine until the waiter returned with Elizabeth's iced tea.

"Here you are miss." The waiter said, sitting the iced tea on the table. "Are you ready to order, or do you still need a few minutes?" The waiter asked them. Mark looked at Elizabeth. "Do you know what you want?" Elizabeth nodded with a smile. Mark returned the smile and looked at the waiter. "I believe we're ready to order." The waiter nodded and took his note pad and pen out of his pocket.

He jotted down their orders onto the note pad and then left to take them to the kitchen. Mark took another sip of his wine and looked across the table at Elizabeth. "So, do you like wrestling?" Mark asked her, keeping his gaze on her beautiful face. Elizabeth shrugged her shoulders. "I have never watched wrestling, so I am not for sure if I like it or not."

Mark looked at her in amusement. "You are trying to tell me, that you have never even seen one match on television?" Elizabeth shook her head. "No." Mark swirled the wine in his glass. "Would you like to find out if you like wrestling or not?" He asked her, looking up with curiosity in his eyes.

"What do you mean?" Elizabeth said, taking a drink of her iced tea. "I mean, I could show you a few of my matches later tonight if you would like." Mark said. Elizabeth looked at Mark with wonder. He was asking her to do something else later tonight? She hadn't expected him to ask her to lunch none the less ask her to spend time with him this evening.

Elizabeth smiled at Mark who sat watching her curiously from across the table. "I would love to watch some of your matches." She said. Mark's face brightened with pleasure and Elizabeth could tell that he was pleased with her answer.

"Great." Mark said. "I will show you some later tonight, after dinner then. Elizabeth nodded in agreement. For some reason, she was really glad that she had pleased Mark. It made her feel good inside, for some really strange reason.

The waiter returned to the table yet again, this time with their food. He set a steaming plate in front of Mark. "The seafood shrimp pasta for you sir." He said, setting the other plate in front of Elizabeth. "And the spaghetti for you miss."

Mark thanked the waiter for the food and turned back to Elizabeth, who was twirling spaghetti noodles onto her fork. She looked so adorable trying to master the tricky spaghetti that was occupying the space on her plate.

Mark thought to himself, why did he really even care if she liked wrestling? Why did it make him happy to know that she wanted to learn about something that he had a passion for? Why was he anxious about showing her some of his matches? It wasn't like he needed her approval on his matches. Mark brought himself back to reality and began to eat his pasta.

The rest of lunch went by smoothly and quickly for both Mark and Elizabeth. They both had honestly enjoyed each others company. They arrived back at Mark's house a little after 2:00 pm. Upon entering the house, they split and went their separate ways until dinner. Mark had to pack for the road and Elizabeth had to finish the laundry and prepare dinner.

Neither Mark nor Elizabeth could deny the chemistry and attraction that lingered between them. They both were aware of its presence, but neither of them were aware of how to stop it from growing.


	12. Chapter 12

Elizabeth had finished the laundry about an hour ago and was just now sitting dinner on the table. She picked up the neatly folded laundry that she had washed for Mark and headed up the stairs to tell him dinner was ready. When reaching his bedroom door, she found that it was half way open and she knocked this time before entering.

Mark looked up from the suitcase he was packing and said, "Come in." Elizabeth pushed the bedroom door the rest of the way open and entered the room. The only light in the room was the late afternoon sunlight streaming through the glass french doors that lead out to the balcony, so most of the room was washed in shadows, including Mark.

Elizabeth smiled, as she walked towards Mark and handed him the neatly folded laundry she had washed for him. "Dinner is ready also Mr. Callaway." Mark nodded and set the neatly folded clothes on his bed. "Why don't you go ahead and go down and I'll be there in just a couple of minutes, after I finish packing." Mark said.

Elizabeth agreed and turned to go back downstairs to the kitchen. Mark's gaze lingered after her as she left the room. Why does she have to be so tempting, Mark wondered to himself. No woman had ever made him want her as much as Elizabeth was and he was pretty sure that she wasn't even trying to.

Mark sighed and put the clean clothes that Elizabeth had just washed into his suitcase and zipped it up. He then picked the luggage up and sat it down by his bedroom door, on his way downstairs to join her for dinner.

The wonderful smell of hot food greeted Mark as he entered the dining room. There was a big pot of chili and a plate of hot cornbread between the two plates on the table. Mark smiled at Elizabeth as she entered the dining room with a big pitcher of iced tea. "Cornbread and chili are my favorite."

Elizabeth looked up from the glass of iced tea she was pouring. "Really?" Mark nodded. "How did you guess?" Elizabeth shrugged, "I was just really in the mood for chili and cornbread goes really good with chili, so I just decided that was what I was going to make for dinner."

"Cornbread and chili do go great together." Mark agreed, taking a seat at the big oak dining table. They finished up dinner and Elizabeth stood to clear the table and load the dirty dishes into the dishwasher. Mark stood also and stretched. "That was delicious Ms. Andrews." He said, pushing his chair in.

Elizabeth flashed him a beautiful smile as she stacked the dirty dishes into her arms. "Thank you." She replied, as she turned to go into the kitchen to load the dishwasher. This was wonderful, Mark thought to himself. He now had someone to cook nice hot meals for him, which meant eating out a lot less. Why In the world hadn't he thought of hiring a housekeeper before?

Mark smiled to himself as he walked into the kitchen. "I'm gonna go get the videos Ms. Andrews, so just meet me in the living room when you're done." Elizabeth nodded as she continued to load the dirty dishes into the dishwasher.

Mark then turned and left the kitchen, in pursuit of his videos. He walked down the hall to the den, where he kept all of his wrestling videos. He pulled four videos that contained some of his favorite matches off of the top shelve of the video rack. He then carried back down the hall to the living room.

He had the television on and ready to go by the time Elizabeth finished the dishes and walked into the living room. "Ready?" Mark asked her, with a big grin on his handsome face. Elizabeth smiled and took a seat on the couch beside Mark.

Mark pushed play on the remote he was holding and the television screen came to life. Mark explained things to Elizabeth as they watched the matches. "This match was from when I first started my career." "I beat Hulk Hogan to win my first world title."

Elizabeth watched the matches with great interest. Mark was amazing she thought to herself. He was so athletic and skilled in the ring. They spent the next few hours totally engulfed in the wrestling matches, with Elizabeth asking frequent questions and Mark eagerly answering them.

Mark smiled as he watched Elizabeth watch the matches with such interest and amazement. It thrilled him to see that she really loved wrestling just as much as he did. Maybe one day, he could take her to see one of his shows live?


	13. Chapter 13

After they had finished watching the wrestling videos, Mark stood up off of the couch he and Elizabeth were sitting on and stretched. "So, what did you think?" Mark said grinning down at Elizabeth who was still sitting on the couch. "It was very entertaining." She said, with a little laugh. "I just find it really hard to believe that you actually do all those crazy things for a living."

Mark chuckled, "Believe it or not, I have actually done crazier things in that business than what you just witnessed." Elizabeth laughed as she tried to imagine some of the crazy things Mark might have done. They were interrupted by the sound of Mark's cell phone ringing. Mark looked down at the caller id and rolled his eyes. What the hell did she want now?

Mark sat back down on the couch and flipped open the phone. "Hello?" He said. "Mark…" Melanie said. "I just wanted to let you know that I would be by to get the check tomorrow." Mark rolled his eyes again and sighed. "Of course you were calling to make sure you got my money, right?" Mark said sarcastically into the receiver.

"Don't you even start with me Mark!" Melanie hissed. Mark smiled, as he realized that he was pissing her off. He continued, "I was just saying, isn't it about time that little lover boy of yours stepped up and took care of you?" Mark could hear the anger radiating off of her voice as she yelled into the phone, "That's none of your damn business you big bastard!"

Mark chuckled, "Some things never change sweetheart." Mark and Melanie spent the next few uncomfortable minutes making plans for Melanie to pick up the check tomorrow. When the conversation finally ended, Mark closed his phone with a sigh. Why in the hell should he have to pay his ex-wife for cheating on him, he wondered to himself?

Mark suddenly remembered that Elizabeth was in the room also and brought himself back to the present. "Sorry about that, Ms. Andrews." Mark said, leaning back on the couch and closing his eyes. Elizabeth watched Mark's tight facial expressions. Whoever he had been on the phone with had made him angry.

"That's alright." Elizabeth said, continuing to study his facial expressions. Mark opened his eyes and looked at Elizabeth. She looked gorgeous just sitting there on his couch. Mark cleared his throat and replied, "I guess my ex-wife is going to be by tomorrow to pick up a check, so I'll just leave it on the kitchen table before I leave in the morning."

Elizabeth nodded, but didn't say anything. He had an ex-wife? Of course he has an ex-wife, Elizabeth thought to herself. The man was absolutely stunning with his impressive physique and amazing green eyes. There probably wasn't a woman alive who could deny that Mark was incredibly sexy.

Elizabeth was interrupted from her thoughts, as she felt the wave of nausea wash over her. Oh no she thought to herself. "Please excuse me." She said, standing up from where she was sitting on the couch. Elizabeth rushed down the hall to the bathroom.

She made it to the toilet just in time. Elizabeth hugged the toilet as she emptied her stomach into the white porcelain bowl. Was she okay, Mark wondered to himself? Mark got up and walked down the hall to the bathroom that Elizabeth had ran into.

The sight of Elizabeth holding onto the toilet and getting sick made Mark's heart melt. "Poor girl." He murmured, as he walked over to her and bent down beside her. Mark smoothed her hair out of her face and held it back for her as she continued to get sick.

Finally after what seemed like forever to Elizabeth, she stopped getting sick and was able to sit up. Mark gently helped her sit back against the bathroom wall. "Are you okay?" Mark asked her, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

Elizabeth nodded and replied weakly, "I think so." Mark looked at the poor girl with sympathy. "I'm going to go get you some water." Mark said, handing her a washcloth from the rack on the wall. Elizabeth nodded and used the washcloth to wipe off her face. Mark then stood and left to go get the water.

Elizabeth moaned and buried her face in her hands. Why did they call it morning sickness she wondered, if it caused you to get sick at all hours of the day? Elizabeth wasn't for sure of the answer to that question, but she was for sure that she did not like morning sickness at all.


	14. Chapter 14

Elizabeth was still sitting against the bathroom wall, when Mark returned with the water. "Here, use this to rinse out your mouth." Mark said, handing her the glass. Elizabeth pulled herself up from her sitting position on the floor and took the water. She took a drink and swished the water around in her mouth, then leaned over the sink and spit it out.

"Better?" Mark asked, eyeing her with concern. Elizabeth nodded and smiled weakly. She felt a little better now. She just prayed that she wouldn't get sick again. Elizabeth wobbled out of the bathroom with Mark behind her.

Elizabeth felt a little embarrassed, having got sick in front of Mark. She hoped that he wasn't disgusted or anything. Elizabeth's thoughts were interrupted when Mark spoke. "Maybe you should get some rest?" Elizabeth looked up at Mark and was about to protest, but stopped when she saw the concern in his eyes.

"You're probably right." She said, nodding in agreement. Mark smiled, glad she was agreeing to rest. "Here then." Mark said, taking a hold of Elizabeth's arm. "Let me help you upstairs." Elizabeth complied and let Mark help her up the stairs.

When they reached Elizabeth's room, Mark opened the door for her and helped her inside the dark room. He then went over to the nightstand and turned on the small lamp that rested atop it. Elizabeth was glad that Mark had offered to help her upstairs, because she wasn't for sure that she could have made it on her own. He was such a sweet man, what woman in her right mind would have divorced him?

Mark looked at Elizabeth and smiled. Even though she was pale and a little dazed, she was still beautiful. Mark shook the thoughts from his mind. He had to stop thinking this way about Elizabeth. He had promised himself after his last marriage had ended, that he would never develop feelings for a woman again.

Mark cleared his throat, "If you would like to shower and change, I'll wait out here till you're done." Elizabeth looked at Mark like he was crazy. He was going to wait in her room while she showered and changed? As if he were reading her thoughts Mark spoke, "You have nothing to worry about Ms. Andrews."

Elizabeth didn't speak, she just nodded her head and walked over to her dresser and pulled out a pink night gown. She then walked into her bathroom with the night gown and shut the door. Elizabeth first set the gown down by the sink and then walked over to the big jacuzzi tub and turned the shower on. She then quickly stripped her clothes off and stepped into the hot spray of water.

Elizabeth sighed as she let the hot water spray her back. She wondered, how long did morning sickness last? She sure hoped that it didn't last all through her pregnancy, because if it did she wasn't for certain that she could handle it. Elizabeth sighed and then bent down to pick up the bar of soap that was sitting on the edge of the shower.

She then stood back up and was suddenly overtaken by dizziness. Elizabeth leaned against the shower wall. She closed her eyes and tried to regain herself. She had to get out of the shower so that she could sit down. The last thing Elizabeth remembered was trying to step out of the shower.

Mark stood outside the bathroom door worried. He had heard a loud thud. Was Elizabeth okay? Had she just dropped something? Mark called out to her and knocked on the bathroom door. "Ms. Andrews?" Receiving no answer, Mark tired again. "Ms. Andrews, are you alright?" Still receiving no answer, Mark let his concern overrule his judgment and he opened the door. Mark was totally unprepared though for the sight that awaited him behind the bathroom door.


	15. Chapter 15

The bathroom door swung open and Mark stepped into the steamy bathroom. "Elizabeth!" Mark shouted before he realized what he was saying. Mark cursed under his breath. He had just made his and Elizabeth's relationship more personal by calling her by her first name. Mark shook his head to clear his thoughts and rushed over to where Elizabeth was.

Her nude, wet body was slumped over the side of the bath tub and the shower curtain was in a heap around her on the floor. Mark knelt down beside her and brushed her wet, tangled hair out of her face. "Ms. Andrews?" Mark asked, panic evident in his voice. He waited a few seconds and when she didn't respond his panic rose even more.

He had to get Elizabeth out of the shower first and foremost, so he could see the extent of her injuries and make sure that she was still breathing. Mark reached into the shower and shut the water off that had been spraying onto the bathroom floor the whole time. He then grabbed a big towel off of the rack on the wall and wrapped it around Elizabeth. Mark then picked up her limp body and carried her into the bedroom.

He gently laid her down on her bed. Was she breathing, Mark wondered? Mark lightly touched his fingers to her smooth neck, feeling for a pulse. Mark let out a sigh of relief, when he felt the beat of Elizabeth's pulse under his fingers. At least she is breathing he thought to himself. Mark then carefully took the big towel that he had wrapped around Elizabeth's limp body and used it to dry her off. The only injury that he noticed while drying her off, was a small swollen bump on the left side of her forehead. She must have hit her head on something when she fainted.

He tossed the damp towel on the bedroom floor by the side of the bed and walked over to Elizabeth's closet. Mark pulled open the big wooden doors and stood there in astonishment. Where were all of her clothes? There were only three to four outfits in the closet from what Mark could see. He would have to later see to it that he bought her a decent wardrobe to wear.

Not finding what he wanted in Elizabeth's closet, Mark walked out of the bedroom door and down the hall, to his own bedroom. Mark went to his closet, opened the doors and pulled out his big black robe. He then walked back down the hall to Elizabeth's room. He found her right where he had left her laying on her bed, her body still limp.

Mark walked over to the bed where Elizabeth was and sat down on it. He then gently pulled her into his arms and put his big warm robe on her. With Elizabeth still in his arms, Mark turned down the covers on the bed and then carefully laid her underneath them and tucked her in. Mark looked at Elizabeth just laying there under the covers. She was so angelic looking. He just hoped that she was alright.

Mark thought for a moment before he decided to wait in her room with her, until she woke up. With that decision, Mark turned out the lamp on the nightstand and walked across the dark bedroom to one of the sitting chairs. He took a seat in the cushioned chair and laid his head back and closed his eyes. He must have dozed off, because the next thing he knew a small shaky voice was calling to him. "Mark?"


	16. Chapter 16

Mark's eyes opened at the sound of Elizabeth's voice. Had she just called him by his first name? Their relationship seemed to be getting more personal by the minute. Mark was brought back to reality when he heard Elizabeth call to him again. "Mark?" Her voice sounded scared and a little uncertain. "I'm right here." Mark said in a soft voice, getting up from the chair he was sitting in. He then walked across the dark room to the bed where Elizabeth was.

Elizabeth couldn't see Mark because of the darkness that overwhelmed the room, but she felt the bed sink down under his weight as he sat down on the edge of it. "Are you alright?" Mark asked. Elizabeth brushed a strand of hair out of her face and replied, "I think so." "What happened?" Mark reached over to the night stand and turned on the small lamp that rested upon it.

The room was brought to life by the bright light that radiated from the small lamp. Mark turned his view from the lamp to Elizabeth. She was still pale, but at least she was conscious and moving Mark thought. "I am not entirely sure what happened." Mark said, fingering his goatee. "I heard a loud thud, so I knocked on the bathroom door to see if you were all right." "When you didn't answer me, I got worried and went in to check on you." "I found you slumped over the side of the tub with a big knot on your forehead." "You must have fainted."

Elizabeth tried to take in what Mark was telling her. She had fainted? She remembered getting in the shower, but she didn't remember getting out. He had found her slumped over the bathtub? Realization finally dawned on Elizabeth. If she had fainted when she was in the shower and Mark had found her slumped over the side of the bathtub, that would mean that Mark had seen her naked.

Elizabeth's cheeks flushed with embarrassment and she pulled the blankets tighter around herself. Mark saw the color rise to her cheeks. What was wrong? Was she embarrassed that he had seen her naked? Hell, she had almost seen him naked when she had walked in on him the other day and he wasn't the least bit embarrassed.

"Ms. Andrews?" Mark said. When she wouldn't meet his gaze, Mark knew that she was embarrassed about him seeing her naked. Mark gently put his hand under her chin and brought her gaze up to meet his. "You have nothing to be embarrassed about." Mark told her. Elizabeth wanted to look away from him because she was so embarrassed, but his intense emerald green eyes had her gaze locked to him. "You are beautiful." He said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

He thought she was beautiful? Elizabeth thought that she should be upset that Mark had seen her naked, but him saying that he thought she was beautiful just seemed to make everything better, as if it had never happened. Mark saw the need for love, the need for someone in her eyes. He had to get out of here, because that someone couldn't be him.

Mark stood up quickly, with the urge to run. He had to put some distance between Elizabeth and himself. "Well, if you are okay then I am going to go on to bed." Mark said, nervously running a hand through his short red hair. "I'll be in my room if you need me." Elizabeth nodded and with that Mark turned and left the room.

Mark didn't let his guard down, until he had closed his bedroom door behind him. What the hell was this girl doing to him? He had just met her and he felt as if he had been in love with her forever. Mark had never had this kind of lust or these kinds of feelings for a woman. He had not even felt this way about Melanie. Mark wasn't for sure what Elizabeth was doing to his feelings and his emotions, but he definitely knew that if he intended to keep their relationship strictly business, that he would have to put a lot of distance between himself and Elizabeth.


	17. Chapter 17

The sound of birds chirping outside her window awoke Elizabeth the next morning. Elizabeth sat up in her big cushioned bed and stretched. What time was it she wondered? She glanced at the alarm clock on her night stand. It was almost 9:30 am. Mark would already have left for the road. Why did it seem that her thoughts were always drifting to Mark?

Elizabeth threw her legs over the side of the bed and stood up. She then made her way to her bathroom and turned on the light and shut the heavy wooden door. Elizabeth didn't realize what she was wearing until she saw her reflection in the mirror. Had Mark put his own robe on her? The thought of the kind gesture made her heart melt. She would have to thank him for his kindness later when he returned home.

Elizabeth untied the robe and slipped it off. She then hung it on the hook on the back of the bathroom door. Then after selecting a rose scented bubble bath from the rack on the wall, Elizabeth turned on the water in the bathtub and poured the contents of the bottle of bubble bath into the running water.

Elizabeth watched the bubbles begin to form in the bathtub and thought about her unborn baby. She thought about how this little miracle was going to change her life forever and how she would never be the same again after it was born.

Elizabeth smiled happily to herself at the thought of eventually holding her precious little baby and turned the bathtub faucet off. She then climbed into the steamy hot water and closed her eyes as she leaned back against the tub.

She laid in the steamy water relaxing a few minutes, before she began to wash herself. After she had herself completely washed and rinsed, Elizabeth climbed out of the warm water and wrapped herself in a soft fluffy towel.

She then went back into her bedroom, sat down on her bed and dried herself off. Elizabeth had just finished towel drying her hair, when the doorbell rang. Who in the world could that be Elizabeth wondered to herself?

Elizabeth threw the damp towel down on her bedroom floor and stood up from where she was sitting on the bed. Not having a robe to wear of her own, Elizabeth grabbed Mark's off the back of her bathroom door and put it on.

She had just tied the belt of the robe around her waist when the doorbell rang again. Elizabeth hurried out her bedroom door and down the stairs to the front foyer. She had just reached the front foyer, when the doorbell rang for a third time. Elizabeth sighed with annoyance and thought to herself, that whoever was at the door was sure impatient.

Elizabeth brushed her wet curly hair out of her face with one hand and grabbed the door knob to open the front door with the other. She pulled open the front door and was met by the most gorgeous woman she had ever seen. Who was this woman and why was she here?


	18. Chapter 18

When the front door swung open, the gorgeous young woman's cold blue eyes flew up to meet Elizabeth's warm brown ones. There was a moment of silence, as the gorgeous blonde haired woman looked Elizabeth up and down. She could see the look of disapproval in the blonde's eyes as her gaze finally met Elizabeth's face.

The slim blonde stranger was unhappy about something that she saw, but Elizabeth was not for sure what. Elizabeth decided to smooth over the uneasy silence and cleared her throat before she spoke, "Can I help you?" She asked the gorgeous woman.

A small smile curved the slim blonde's lips as Elizabeth spoke to her. This lady standing in Mark's doorway, must be his new housekeeper and from the looks of what she was wearing, it seemed that her and Mark had already got very acquainted. The gorgeous blonde woman tossed her long hair over her shoulder and smiled at Elizabeth. "I'm Melanie, Mark's ex-wife. He told me that I could come by today and pick up a check that he would leave for me."

Elizabeth stared at the long blonde haired woman before her. This was Mark's ex-wife? She was absolutely stunning. What could have possibly happened to have made Mark not want to be with this beautiful woman? Elizabeth cleared the questioning thoughts about Mark's past from her mind and spoke, "Of course. Please come in Melanie."

Elizabeth stepped back from the doorway to allow Melanie to enter the house. Melanie passed through the doorway and stood in the front foyer. The scent of her perfume lingered as she brushed by Elizabeth. Elizabeth closed the front door and then turned to face Melanie. "I believe Mr. Callaway left your check on the kitchen table, so if you just want to follow me I'll be more than happy to get it for you."

With that, Elizabeth turned and started down the hall towards the kitchen, with Melanie right behind her. Elizabeth spotted the check lying on the kitchen table as soon as they entered the kitchen. She picked it up and handed it to Melanie. "Here you are." Elizabeth said with a smile. Melanie eagerly took the check and tucked it away into her purse.

Melanie smiled back at Elizabeth and gave her another look over from head to toe. "So, did you get this housekeeping job, because you are Mark's little piece on the side?" Elizabeth's face flushed red with embarrassment. She looked at Melanie who was obviously enjoying her embarrassment, from the look of the devilish smile she displayed on her lips.

Elizabeth opened her mouth and stuttered, "N…n…no. I am not with Mr. Callaway like that. I got this job, because I really needed it." Melanie rolled her eyes and pointed to the black robe that Elizabeth was wearing. "Why are you wearing his robe then?"

Elizabeth looked down at Mark's big warm robe that she had wrapped around herself. She had forgotten that she was even wearing it. Elizabeth looked back up and met Melanie's accusing gaze. "He let me borrow it last night after…" Elizabeth trailed off. She didn't want to tell Melanie what had really happened last night.

Melanie gave a slight laugh and said, "Yeah, last night after he fucked you." Suddenly, Elizabeth's embarrassment was consumed by anger. What right did this woman have to speak to her like this? What made her think that she could just waltz right in here and bash her like that?

Elizabeth's light brown eyes were clouded with anger as she spoke to Melanie. "What I do is my own business and none of yours. I think that perhaps you should leave." Melanie's mouth fell open in shock. How dare this little pathetic maid speak to her like that?! She would definitely make her regret what she had said.

Melanie turned to leave, but stopped at the kitchen doorway. She threw Elizabeth one last sarcastic smile and said, "You're just his little whore until he realizes he wants me back, so enjoy it while it lasts." With that Melanie was gone.

Elizabeth didn't relax and let her guard down, until she heard the front door slam shut. How dare that woman?! She had not right to treat Elizabeth as if she were a whore. Elizabeth needed a distraction, so she decided to cook some breakfast to try and shake the anger off that Melanie had caused her.


	19. Chapter 19

Elizabeth had already finished eating breakfast and cleaning the kitchen and was just now heading upstairs to get dressed. The anger Melanie had caused her earlier had now subsided and the whole situation was almost humorous to Elizabeth. Melanie was jealous. She thought that her and Mark were sleeping together and it was eating her alive.

Elizabeth shrugged the thoughts of Melanie off and stepped into her bedroom that was filled with bright sunshine from the morning sun. She then went over to her dresser and pulled out a pair of white cotton panties and a matching white cotton bra. Elizabeth slipped off Mark's warm robe and threw it across her unmade bed. She then put on the matching bra and panties and walked over to her closet.

Elizabeth let out a sigh of frustration as she stared into her practically empty closet. Eventually, she was going to have to extend her very small wardrobe. Elizabeth picked out a pair of jeans and a navy blue t-shirt, before closing the closet doors. She quickly pulled the clothes on and then grabbed her sneakers that lay on the floor beside her bed.

Elizabeth sat the sneakers down on her bed and went back over to her dresser to retrieve a pair of socks. She took the white ankle-cut socks that she had pulled out of her dresser drawer and walked back over and sat down on the edge of the bed. She then put on the white ankle-cut socks and her sneakers.

After she was fully dressed, Elizabeth stood from where she was sitting on the edge of her bed and went into her adjoining bathroom. Elizabeth quickly brushed her teeth before taking a look at her hair in the mirror. Elizabeth's hair was a mess of curls and waves from where she had let it air dry from her bath earlier. Elizabeth carefully combed her fingers through her hair to try and untangle it a bit.

Not having much success, Elizabeth finally gave up and just through her messy hair up into a ponytail. After she had managed to make her hair look decent, Elizabeth grabbed her black coat that was hung over the back of the sitting chair in her bedroom and headed downstairs. Once in the front foyer, she slipped on her coat and walked over to the small table that stood by the front door.

There she picked up the credit card Mark had given her and the keys to the 2007 black Chevy Cobalt that he had said she could drive. She had to go to the grocery store because they were running low on food and cleaning supplies. Elizabeth then shoved the credit card into her coat pocket as she thought about what she needed to buy and walked through the house to the door that joined the house to the garage. She opened the door, stepped into the garage, and shut the door behind her.

Elizabeth pushed the unlock button on the key ring and the Cobalt's lights flashed and the doors clicked unlocked. She then opened the driver's door and climbed into the car. From what Elizabeth could tell, the car seemed brand new and was very nice.

Elizabeth slid the key into the ignition and started the car. The engine roared to life and Elizabeth scanned the car for a garage door opener. She found one hooked on the sun visor on the driver's side. She pushed the button on the small black box and waited patiently for the garage door to open.

Once the door was completely open, Elizabeth carefully backed out of the garage and pushed the button on the small black box once again. She waited until the garage door had locked into place, before she pulled out of the driveway, into the street. After this morning had been so eventful and unpleasant, Elizabeth hoped that the rest of the day just went by smoothly.


	20. Chapter 20

It was Thursday afternoon and Elizabeth sat at the kitchen table sipping on a cup of hot tea. Mark would be coming home tomorrow night and for some reason, Elizabeth was excited and nervous. The very thought of just being near the man made her go weak in the knees. Elizabeth shook her thoughts from Mark. She had to stop thinking about him so much. It was getting to the point that he was starting to invade her dreams.

Elizabeth smiled to herself and stood with her empty cup in hand. She didn't really mind him invading her dreams though. It allowed her to see a side of Mark that she never had before. Elizabeth took her empty cup to the sink, rinsed it out and put it in the dishwasher.

Elizabeth had the rest of the day free, because she had already finished all the chores this morning. She thought to herself for a moment, before she decided to give her best friend Carrie a call. Maybe Carrie would want to do something?

She walked through the house to the living room and picked the phone up off the receiver. She dialed Carrie's number and waited for an answer. "Hello?" Said a voice, from the other side of the line. "Hey Carrie, it's me Liz." "Hey girl!" Carrie said excitedly into the receiver. "What have you been up to?" "I haven't heard from you in a while."

Elizabeth explained the situation of how she came to live at Mark's house to Carrie and waited for a reply from her friend. "You're living in a strange man's house?!" Carrie practically yelled into the phone. "I'm getting to know him." Elizabeth replied. "It just all sounds a little crazy." Carrie said, with a hint of nervousness in her voice. "I just want you and the baby to be alright Liz."

"I know you do Carrie and I really appreciate you looking out for me." "It's just that I was running out of options and Geoff sure as hell wasn't going to help me, so I had to do something." "I know." Carrie replied with sympathy in her voice.

The two chatted a few more minutes and after Elizabeth had given Carrie directions to the house, they hung up the phone with plans to meet at the house at 3:00 pm. Elizabeth sighed with boredom. She still had two hours before Carrie would be here, what could she do to pass the time?

After sorting through several options, Elizabeth finally decided that she would read a book. She walked down the hall to the library and chose a book. The book was a mystery and she hoped that it was exciting and good. She then went back to the living room and curled up with her book in Mark's big easy chair.

After a good hour of reading, Elizabeth closed the book and stretched. She was just about half way through the book and it was turning out to be quite good. Elizabeth sat the book down on the floor beside the chair and stood. She needed a drink of water.

Elizabeth got her drink of water and returned to the living room. She curled back up in Mark's big easy chair and thought about her baby. She was almost 10 weeks pregnant now and she still had not been to see a doctor. She had to think of some way to pay for a doctor. The only people that knew about her pregnancy were Carrie and Geoff. Carrie wasn't in a financial position to help her and Geoff sure wasn't going to help her. She would just have to figure out a way to pay for a doctor herself.

She must have dozed off, because the next thing she knew the doorbell was ringing. Elizabeth stretched and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Was it 3:00 pm already? Elizabeth stood from the comfortable chair and walked towards the front door. It would be good to see Carrie. Maybe she could help her think of some way to pay for a doctor?


	21. Chapter 21

Elizabeth swung open the front door and was greeted by Carrie's warm smiling face. "Liz!" Carrie exclaimed, throwing her arms around the shorter, smaller woman. Elizabeth returned her friend's hug and with laughter in her voice replied, "It is good to see you too." Elizabeth took Carrie's coat and hung it on the coat rack by the front door, before moving into the living room with both women chattering excitedly as they went.

"I can't believe you live in this huge, gorgeous house!" Carrie exclaimed with astonishment in her voice. Elizabeth smiled at Carrie and said, "Wait until I give you the grand tour." They spent the next thirty minutes touring the house with Carrie stopping every few seconds to admire something and to remind Elizabeth how lucky she was to be living here.

After the tour had finally ended, the two women found themselves in the kitchen sipping hot coco. They talked about old times and reminisced on good memories about their pasts, just enjoying each others company.

Elizabeth had decided to avoid the question of what to do about a doctor for her unborn baby, not wanting to spoil the happy atmosphere that surrounded her and Carrie. There was no need to drag Carrie into her problems and make her worry and fret also. Elizabeth cleared her thoughts and brought herself back to reality. She needed a distraction to get her mind off of her problems for now. She turned her attention back to Carrie and hoped that her presence would be enough to provide that distraction.

"So, what should we do now?" She asked Carrie, tucking a stand of hair that had escaped her loose french braid behind her ear. Carrie smiled at her friend and suggested, "How about dinner?" "Sure." Elizabeth answered. "What do you want me to cook us?" Carrie laughed, "I don't want you to cook us anything. Let's go out to eat, my treat."

After a few minutes of begging Carrie to let her pay for her own dinner and getting no where, Elizabeth reluctantly agreed to Carrie's dinner stipulations, but insisted that she pay for the movie they planned to see later that night after dinner.

After the arrangements were made for who was going to pay what, the two women gathered their coats and headed out the front door, for a girls night out. The night went wonderfully for the two women. They went to the new chinese restaurant that had just opened up in town last week and were delighted to find that it served the best chinese food they had ever eaten.

The movie they saw was a chick flick and they both enjoyed the sense of humor and love story it displayed. After the movie they drove back to the house, their excited chatter and the steady rumble of the car engine breaking the still of the night.

They pulled into the driveway a little after 10:00 pm and both women were equally surprised to find that there were lights on in the house. Why were there lights on in the house? Elizabeth was pretty sure that they had shut off all the lights before they had left. Who had entered the house while they were gone and turned them on?

As if she were reading Elizabeth's thoughts Carrie spoke, "Who's here? I thought that you said you were the only one home until tomorrow evening." "I am supposed to be the only one here." Elizabeth said, starring out the car window at the big glowing house. Who was in the house?


	22. Chapter 22

Elizabeth stepped out of the car into the chilly night air. She walked slowly up to the front porch, the cold gravel under her feet crunching nosily as she walked. Elizabeth had almost reached the front porch, when she realized that Carrie was right behind her. The two women climbed the stairs that lead up the porch and stood outside the front door.

"Should we go in?" Carrie asked, her nervousness written all over her face. Despite her nervousness and fear, Elizabeth managed to get a reply through her dry lips. "Yes." Carrie nodded at her friend's answer and waited for her to make the first move.

Elizabeth pushed the front door open and stood back as the big door swung open to reveal the dimly lit front foyer. Both women stepped into the front foyer and Carrie silently closed the door behind them. The women stood timidly in the front foyer, both unsure of what to do next. A few moments had passed, before Elizabeth could gather up the courage to find her voice. "Hello?" She called out quietly into the still house.

When she received no reply, Elizabeth began to silently walk towards the bright lights in the kitchen, with Carrie right on her heels. Upon reaching the kitchen and discovering that no one was there, the women took a minute to think things over. "What about upstairs?" Carrie asked, her eyes wide with fear and anticipation.

Elizabeth didn't say anything in response to Carrie's question. She just shook her head and headed towards the stairs. The two women were half-way up the stairs when Elizabeth called out again. "Hello? Is anybody there?" When they still didn't receive a response, the two women continued up the stairs.

When they reached the top of the flight of stairs, they could see that the lights were on in Mark's room and in the spare bedroom at the end of the hall. They decided to check Mark's room first, since it was the closest. "Hello?" Elizabeth said, as her and Carrie stepped into Mark's room. Silence filled the room as the two women did a quick search that revealed no one.

After Mark's room turned up nothing, the two women headed towards the spare bedroom. Upon entering the spare bedroom, the women found it neat and orderly, except for the closet. The closet doors were open and it appeared that someone had been digging through the closet, as if they were searching for something.

"Maybe no one is here." Carrie said, turning her gaze from the messy closet to her friend. "Maybe whoever it was found what they were looking for and left." Elizabeth shook her head in agreement and said, "I suppose you're right." With their search of the house revealing no intruder, the two women turned to leave the bedroom and head back downstairs.

Elizabeth turned out the light in the spare bedroom and had just stepped out into the hall, when she felt someone grab her. Her panicked scream filled the house as she felt someone drag her roughly against their body, so that her back was to their chest. "Liz!" Carrie cried.


	23. Chapter 23

Liz? Mark thought to himself. What the hell was she doing wondering around the house in the dark? Reasoning suddenly dawned on Mark. He had mistaken Elizabeth for an intruder and had grabbed her in his haste. Mark put a warm hand over Elizabeth's mouth to silence her panicked screams. "Calm down girl, it's just me." He said, tightening his grip around her waist. Elizabeth relaxed at the sound of his voice. "Mark?" She asked in a squeaky voice that she did not recognize as her own.

"Yes it's me." He said, removing his arm from around her waist. "What are you doing wondering around up here in the dark?" He asked Elizabeth as he flipped on the hall light. The bright light flooded the room and Mark almost cracked up at the sight before him. The two women stood in front of him, both white as ghosts, their eyes wide in fear and shock.

"You both look like you need to sit down before you fall down." Mark said, allowing a smile to form on his lips as he gestured for the women to follow him downstairs. Elizabeth and Carrie obediently followed Mark down the stairs to the kitchen and took a seat at the kitchen table that he pointed to.

"So, what were you doing wondering around up there in the dark?" Mark asked once again, casually leaning against the kitchen counter. Elizabeth took a deep breath and tried to find her voice. "I…I…I…I wasn't expecting you home until tomorrow, so when we came home and found all the lights on, we thought that someone had broken into the house while we were gone." "So, you thought an intruder was in the house and you went in to find them?" Mark asked, with disbelief in his voice. "If it really had been an intruder, you could have seriously been hurt or worse…" Mark trailed off, jerking his eyes away from Elizabeth's face. He didn't want to see the hurt on her face as he lectured her about the wrong she had done.

Elizabeth dropped her eyes to her hands that she twisted together in nervousness in her lap. She knew that what she and Carrie had done was stupid. She knew that one of them could have seriously been hurt or worse her unborn baby could have been hurt. Elizabeth's stomach twisted into tight painful knots at her disregard for her unborn child's safety. What had she been thinking?

The silence was finally broken when Carrie cleared her throat and stood up from the kitchen table. "I had better be going Liz." She said, trying to read her friend's expression. "I'll walk you to the door." Elizabeth said, also standing from her seat at the kitchen table and following her friend to the front foyer.

The women exchanged hugs and Carrie left with the promise to call Elizabeth sometime in the next week. Elizabeth stood at the front door as long as possible and watched Carrie's taillights until they disappeared out of sight. She did not want to go back into the kitchen and face Mark and his disapproving look. Having no choice though, Elizabeth took a deep breath and began to walk back toward the kitchen.


	24. Chapter 24

Mark looked up as Elizabeth entered the kitchen. His eyes followed her slender frame as it walked across the kitchen floor to one of the empty wooden kitchen chairs. Elizabeth didn't meet his eyes until she had sat herself comfortably in the chair. His eyes were cool and collected, but they also held a hint of disbelief and something that Elizabeth could not quite put her finger on. Was he angry with her?

The heavy silence continued to fill the room and the weight of it became almost unbearable. Elizabeth wiggled nervously in her chair and contemplated saying something to break the dominating silence that was overwhelming the whole situation.

Elizabeth quickly shot another glance at Mark before making her decision to speak. His eyes were closed this time and his head was leaned back with a look of frustration on his face. Something was definitely on his mind, but the question was what?

Elizabeth took a deep breath and tried to find the words that were caught in her dry throat. "Is everything alright Mr. Callaway?" A few minutes had passed and he had still not replied to her question. Was he so angry with her that he was not going to speak to her?

Tears of anger at herself and at Mark filled her eyes and threatened to spill over. She knew that she had made a stupid decision to come into the house when there was a chance of danger, but was what she did so bad that he was just going to block her out now?

Elizabeth stood from her chair and headed for the doorway. She would be damned before she would let him see her cry again. Mark opened his eyes at the sound of her movement. "Where are you going?" He asked, the words coming out a little more demanding than he intended.

Elizabeth heard his question, but kept walking. If he didn't have the decency to give her an answer, why in the world should she feel obliged to give him one? Mark waited a few seconds before he went after her. He didn't want the night to end on bad terms between them. After a few swift strides, he easily caught up with her in the hallway. "Wait…" He said, as he gently put his hand on her arm.

When she turned and looked at him, Mark could see the fresh tears that shone in her eyes. He had hurt her feelings, but she had no idea what she was doing to him. He was so frustrated with himself for feeling this way about a woman, especially after only knowing her for such a short time.

He had been angry at her a few moments earlier, for having such little regard for her own safety. He had been angry with himself since the moment he had met her, because he wanted nothing more than to kiss her senseless every time he laid eyes on her.

Mark opened his mouth for the words of his apology to come out, but nothing came. He was suddenly caught in the moment and overtaken by the ever so present and powerful urge to kiss her.

As he stared down at Elizabeth, he could read the hurt and frustration in her eyes as if she were an open book. He wanted nothing more than to make the world absolutely perfect for her. Mark gently brushed a strand of hair off of Elizabeth's face and ran his thumb gently over her cheekbone. In the next instant, he gently lowered his head and captured Elizabeth's warm lips in a gentle kiss.


	25. Chapter 25

Elizabeth's mind whirled in a mixture of sensations. Her lips eagerly responded to the light pressure of Mark's mouth. What was wrong with her? She had never responded to any man like this before. It was as if her body had betrayed her before she had even realized Mark was kissing her.

Mark tangled his hand in her silky hair and deepened the kiss. He increased the pressure and crushed Elizabeth's soft, full, eager lips beneath his own. His tongue pushed at her lips and demanded entry to her sweet mouth.

Elizabeth willingly parted her swollen lips and allowed Mark to slide his warm, hungry tongue into her avid waiting mouth. Their tongues entwined and danced in the dark hallway as time seemed to stand still for the present moment. Elizabeth ran her hand up the length of Mark's hard chest and let a soft moan escape from the pleasure of the kiss.

The soft moan had broken the silence and brought Mark back to the present. What the hell was he doing? He knew this was wrong and that he should not have let it happen. In the next instant he quickly broke the kiss and shoved Elizabeth from him. In his haste and desire Mark shoved Elizabeth a little more roughly than what he had intended to, so the force of the shove sent her back into the hall wall.

Elizabeth kept her back against the wall where she had landed and stared at Mark with passion filled confused eyes. What was wrong? One minute he wanted to kiss her senseless and the next minute he didn't want her near him?

She locked gazes with Mark and could see the arousal in his eyes. He seemed to have enjoyed the kiss also, so what was the problem? Elizabeth parted her lips and through her erratic and uneven breathing managed to whisper, "What's wrong?"

Mark stared into her beautiful light brown eyes and tried to find an answer. He sighed with frustration while running a hand through his short red hair and said, "We have to stop now or I might not be able to later." With that Mark turned and began to walk back down the dark hallway to the kitchen. When he got to the kitchen doorway he turned and added, "You should probably get some sleep Ms. Andrews."

Elizabeth watched as he disappeared into the kitchen. She had no idea what was going on, but she tried to figure it out in her head as she slowly made her way toward the stairs. Once upstairs and safely inside her own room, Elizabeth stripped her clothes off and headed toward the bathroom. Maybe a nice hot shower would help her clear her head and figure this whole confusing situation out.

Once inside the shower, she let the hot needles of water pound down on her back and head. The sting from the hotness of the water felt good against her skin. Elizabeth closed her eyes and leaned her head back in an effort to think. Why had Mark kissed her? What had he meant when he said that he might not be able to stop later?

After about twenty minutes of pondering the situation and not being able to come to a conclusion, Elizabeth gave up and turned the water off. She quickly got ready for bed in the next few minutes and turned off the light before snuggling under the warm blankets of her soft, inviting bed.

It was only Thursday night, so she had until Monday morning with Mark. Maybe the weekend would bring her some answers. Answers about Mark, answers about herself, answers about her unborn baby, and answers about the whole overall situation.


	26. Chapter 26

The piercing sound of an alarm clock broke the stillness of the morning. Elizabeth groaned and groggily rolled over to shut it off. Was it 6:00 am already? Elizabeth yawned and stretched her arms above her head. 6:00 am seemed to come earlier every morning.

Elizabeth threw the covers back from herself and stepped out into the chilled air of her dark bedroom. She quickly dressed in her old gray sweats and black t-shirt before brushing her teeth and hair. Once her morning routine was completed she headed downstairs. She stopped in the hall on her way to the kitchen and adjusted the thermostat so that the heat would kick on and warm the chilly house.

Once in the kitchen, Elizabeth went to the fridge and began looking for something to make for breakfast. She pushed her loose curls out of the way as she rummaged through the food. She pulled the items she needed out of the cold fridge and set them on the counter by the sink.

With the cooking of breakfast underway, Elizabeth planned her day out in her head. When she was done with her chores later this afternoon, she was going to go clothes shopping and buy a couple of new outfits to accommodate her ever growing tummy.

She would have to use the credit card that Mark had given her, because she had no other means of payment. Surely he wouldn't mind though, since he had told her to use the card for whatever she might need. Elizabeth was stirred from her thoughts when Mark's big frame entered the kitchen.

"Good mornin." Mark mumbled sleepily, averting his eyes from Elizabeth's direction as he took a seat at the kitchen table. Elizabeth felt her face grow hot from his acknowledgement, but she kept her eyes on the toast she was buttering and murmured, "Good morning Mr. Callaway."

Elizabeth tried to keep her mind on preparing breakfast, but her mind kept wondering. Maybe it would be the safest bet to play it off as if the kiss never occurred? Maybe Mark would do the same thing and they both would soon forget that it ever happened?

With great frustration Elizabeth shook the thoughts from her head and picked up the two plates she had fixed. She sat one in front of Mark and the other at the empty seat across the table from him. She then poured two cups of fresh, hot coffee before taking her seat across from him.

"Thanks." Mark said, taking the coffee from Elizabeth and taking a drink of the hot liquid. He sat the coffee down and picked up his fork. He studied Elizabeth as he ate his food. She had gotten up this morning and acted like everything was normal, so maybe she was going to forget that the kiss ever happened?

Mark decided to play safe and act like everything was normal. He took another drink of his coffee and casually asked, "So, do you have any plans today?" Elizabeth's eyes shot up to Mark's face at his question. She was expecting with the awkwardness of the situation that he wouldn't even try to make conversation.

Elizabeth nervously picked at her eggs and answered, "Well, when I was done with the housework I was thinking about going shopping for a few new clothes this afternoon. That is of course, if it is alright with you."

Mark stood up and walked to the counter to pour himself another cup of coffee. "I think that is a great idea." He said, remembering the night she had fainted and the slim selection of her wardrobe had been brought to his attention.

Mark sat down at the table and took another sip of his coffee before replying, "Get whatever you would like, because money is no problem." Elizabeth smiled at his generosity. "Thank you very much." She said, trying to fight the emotions that were building in her.

She had to stop herself from developing serious feelings for Mark before it was too late. She had been hurt by a man beyond repair before and she was just not that willing to let it happen again. Besides, she had bigger things to worry about. She had to worry about the arrival of her unborn baby that was getting closer with each passing day and how she was going to pay for that arrival.

Later that afternoon…

Elizabeth had finished the housework about an hour ago and was now getting ready to go shopping. She grabbed her purse off of her bed and headed downstairs. Mark had spent the whole morning in the gym. He had finally come up to eat lunch and shower. He was in the living room now, watching boxing. He loved to just relax and watch some of his favorite sports when he had the time.

Mark looked up from the big flat screen television when Elizabeth entered the room. "I'm leaving Mr. Callaway. I was just going to see if there was anything you needed while I was out?" Elizabeth said, with a brilliant smile on her face.

Mark shook is head and replied, "Not that I can think of." Elizabeth nodded, "Alright, I'll see you later then." "Have a good time." Mark called after her. Mark turned his attention back to the boxing match. He had to get this girl out of his head and fast.

It was just about 4:00 pm and Elizabeth was pulling into the garage. She had a wonderful time shopping. It was so nice to just get away and do something for yourself every once in a while. She had purchased a couple of pairs of jeans in bigger sizes and a few looser t-shirts. She had even got a little daring and bought herself a couple of sexy bra and panty sets.

Elizabeth had never been one to put too much emphasis on appearance, but she did want to look good. With Mark around, she found herself wanting to look good more and more. She grabbed her bags out of the trunk of the black Cobalt and hurried inside.

Once inside the house, Elizabeth was greeted with a delicious smell. She followed the divine scent to the warm kitchen. Mark looked up from the cook book he was scanning and smiled. "I thought I'd try my hand at cooking." Elizabeth smiled and sat her bags down on the kitchen table. "It smells wonderful whatever it is." She offered, taking a seat at the small wooden table.

"Thanks." Mark said, stirring the boiling pot on the stove. "I hope you're hungry." Elizabeth nodded and replied, "Starving." The two chatted aimlessly about everything from the weather to wrestling while they waited for the food to cook.

When the food was done, Mark served up two plates and sat them on the kitchen table. "Wow!" Elizabeth said teasingly. "I get dinner and service tonight?" Mark chuckled as he took a bite of his chicken. "Don't get used to it little lady."

The two spent the next hour enjoying dinner and each others company. "I must say that I am a pretty awesome cook." Mark said laughing as he cleared the table and put the dirty dishes in the sink. "I agree." Elizabeth said, standing up and gathering her bags.

"I'm going to go shower." Elizabeth said, heading towards the stairs. Mark nodded in acknowledgement and replied, "Alright. I'll see you in a little bit." Elizabeth trotted happily up the stairs. She was so glad that Mark wasn't acting weird about the whole situation with them kissing. She was starting to feel as if he really enjoyed her company and that possibly he considered her a friend. She might not be able to be anything but Mark's friend and housekeeper, but at least she had that.


	27. Chapter 27

It was Friday afternoon and Elizabeth sat at the kitchen table listening to the rain fall and thinking about her unborn baby. She was 11 weeks pregnant now. She was going to have to hurry up and figure out a way to pay for a doctor, so that she could get the proper care for her and her baby. The week had come and gone quickly and now it was time for Mark to return home from the road. After her shopping trip and Mark surprising her with dinner, the two had spent the remainder of the weekend just hanging around the house enjoying each others company.

Elizabeth knew deep down that she was developing some sort of feelings for Mark and that it was wrong to feel this way about him. She sure as hell didn't need to be falling in love with her boss. She had enough on her plate to worry about without the added complication of Mark. She would have to do everything in her power to stop these feelings from forming. She would even consider just quitting if she didn't need the money so desperately.

Elizabeth sighed and rubbed her temples. Thinking about all of this was giving her a headache. Elizabeth stood up and walked down the hall to the library. She had just finished a book and she was anxious to start a new one. She scanned the titles waiting for something to catch her eye. Seeing one that looked interesting, she pulled it from the shelf and flipped it over to read the back cover. Satisfied with the description of the book, Elizabeth curled up in one of the big, cushiony chairs that sat in front of the fireplace in the library and turned to the first chapter. Mark had phoned earlier in the day and had said that he would be home around 7:00 pm, so she still had a couple of hours before she even had to start dinner. She thought to herself that she should be able to get quite a bit read or even possibly finish the book before Mark arrived home.

Later…

Elizabeth stirred the simmering pan on the stove as she added a dash of parsley to the scrumptious mixture of food. She had finished the book twenty minutes before she even had to start dinner, so she was ahead of schedule. She was just about done with dinner. All she had left to do was toss the salad. Elizabeth had just taken the pan off the stove when she heard the front door open. She kept her attention on the food as she heard heavy footsteps approaching the kitchen.

"Hey little lady." Mark said, as he sat his suitcase on the floor. Elizabeth turned and flashed him a smile as she replied, "Hello Mr. Callaway." "Smells wonderful." Mark said, as he took his jacket off and draped it over the back of one of the kitchen chairs. Something about Mark complimenting her cooking made Elizabeth melt inside. She wasn't for sure why, but it always did no matter how hard she tried to fight it.

The ringing of Mark's cell phone cut through her thoughts. Mark pulled the phone from his jacket pocket and looked down at the caller id. "Excuse me." He said, as he walked out of the room. Elizabeth served up two plates and sat them on the table as she patiently waited for Mark to return.

"Sorry about that." Mark said, as he took his seat at the table. Elizabeth smiled and replied, "Not a problem Mr. Callaway." Mark took a bite of his food and continued, "It was an old friend inviting me to go out to the bar with them tonight." Elizabeth felt her heart sink at the thought of Mark leaving already, even if it was just for a few hours. "Are you going?" Elizabeth asked casually, as she buttered a piece of bread before taking a bite of it. Mark took a drink of his beverage and said, "Yeah, so I probably won't be home until pretty late." Elizabeth tried to not let her disappointment show as they finished dinner.

Later…

Mark had left a couple of hours ago and Elizabeth was trying her best to keep her mind from straying to thoughts of him. She had already showered and dressed and was now watching television in the living room. When she had dressed, she had decided to be a little more daring and wear one of her new bra and panty sets. The set was red, lacy, and didn't leave much to the imagination. All she had over it was Mark's big, black robe that she had yet to return.

Elizabeth turned her attention from her thoughts back to the sitcom that was on the television. She tried to get into the program, but her mind just kept wondering. Elizabeth was startled by the sudden ringing of the phone. Who in the world would be calling this late at night? Maybe it was Mark?

She walked over to the phone and picked up the receiver. "Callaway residence." She said politely. "Is Mark there?" Said an impatient voice on the other end of the line." "I'm sorry, but he is out for the evening. Can I take a message?" Elizabeth asked. "Sure." Said the voice. "Find your own free ride you little slut."

Elizabeth tried to make sense of what she had just heard. "Excuse me?" She said defensively into the receiver. "You heard me bitch!" Yelled the voice. Realization suddenly dawned on Elizabeth as she put a face with the voice. "What are you trying to prove Melanie?" Elizabeth asked, getting tried of the poor treatment she was receiving. "I have done nothing to you to deserve this kind of disrespect." "Stay away from Mark." Melanie hissed, before she hung up the phone.

Elizabeth sighed and hung up the phone. She was convinced that either Melanie was the biggest bitch in the world or just a complete psycho. Either way though, she wanted absolutely nothing to do with her. Elizabeth switched off the television and turned out all the lights before heading upstairs to bed. Today had been a long day and she was exhausted.

Later…

A crashing sound awoke Elizabeth. She glanced at her alarm and saw that it was almost 4:00 am. Was Mark just now getting home? Elizabeth climbed out of bed and threw Mark's robe on. She then opened her bedroom door and stepped out into the hall. She tip toed half-way down the stairs before calling out. "Mr. Callaway?" She didn't receive a response, but she did hear another loud crash followed by a string of curses.

Elizabeth flipped on the front foyer light and saw Mark standing there between the knocked over coat rack and a broken vase. "Are you okay? What happened?" Elizabeth asked, walking over to him. "I knocked over the coat rack and when I tried to pick it up, I accidently knocked over the vase." Mark said, slurring his words as he picked up the coat rack and sat it upright. "I'm sorry I woke you." He said, throwing her a slight smile. "It's alright." Elizabeth said as she walked past him to get the broom. The scent of alcohol followed her down the hall. He is very drunk Elizabeth thought to herself as she retrieved the broom and returned to the front foyer to clean up the broken glass.

She quickly cleaned up the glass and put the broom away. "Why don't you let me help you upstairs?" Elizabeth suggested walking towards Mark. She threw his big, heavy, tattooed arm around her shoulders and headed towards the stairs. "I really am sorry for waking you." Mark said, trying to concentrate on the stairs. "I guess I had more to drink than I thought." "I assure you its fine." Elizabeth said, as they reached the top of the stairs.

They walked together down the hall until they reached Mark's door. Mark took his arm from around Elizabeth and opened the door. "Thank you." He said, as he ran a hand through his short red hair. "No problem." Elizabeth said, as she started back down the hall towards her room. "Goodnight Mr. Callaway." She called over her shoulder as she continued walking.

"Wait." Mark said, as he walked towards her to close the distance between them. Elizabeth turned and was face to face with him. "Yes?" She asked, trying to read his face despite the darkness of the hallway. Mark didn't say a word. He just leaned down and hungrily captured her soft, full lips with his own.


	28. Chapter 28

The kiss took Elizabeth completely by surprise. It may have taken her mind a few seconds to comprehend what was going on, but her body was already well aware. Her arms instinctively entwined around Mark's neck as the kiss got more intense. Mark's tongue pushed at her lips and demanded entry to her mouth. Elizabeth willingly submitted and granted him entry to her warm, eager, mouth. Mark tangled his hands in Elizabeth's silky curls and drew her closer to him.

Elizabeth moaned under Mark's lips. Her mind was telling her to stop, but she knew that her body was betraying her. In the next instant, Mark broke the kiss and pulled back to look at her. Even in the dark hallway Elizabeth could see the passion and desire in his eyes. "Tell me this is what you want." Mark breathed as he reached out to gently stroke her cheek with his thumb.

Elizabeth stared deep into Mark's eyes uncertain what to say. She knew that she should say no that this was wrong and it was not what she wanted, but she was tired of fighting it. Tired of fighting the desire, the attraction, and the temptation. She was tired of lying to herself about not wanting Mark. She had wanted him since the moment she had meet him, it just hadn't been as obvious at first. Nothing in her life seemed as important as this moment right now.

"I want you." Elizabeth whispered. With that simple reply, Mark took her hand and led her down the hall to his room. He held the door open for her as she made her way into the dim room. He closed the door behind himself and walked over to where she stood. He wrapped his arms around her and he once again captured her lips with his. The kiss continued as Mark's hand found the belt on the robe she was wearing. He gave a small tug on the cloth belt and felt the robe loosen from around her small frame. He broke the kiss and pulled back to look at her. He wanted to see her body as she was revealed to him.

Mark gently pushed the garment from her body and let it fall to the floor in a heap around her feet. He took in a sharp breath of air and said, "You're beautiful." He leaned in and kissed Elizabeth again, while gently lowering her to the edge of the bed. He then stood up and pulled his shirt off over his head and tossed it to the side.

Elizabeth starred at him mesmerized. He was absolutely stunning. Mark sat down on the bed beside her and gently reached behind her to undo the clasp of the red, lacy bra that held her full, voluptuous breasts. In one swift movement, he undid the clasp and pulled the lacy fabric away from her body, letting her breasts spill free. "Good God." Mark muttered, as he gently put his hand on her should and instructed her to lie on the bed.

Elizabeth did as she was told and laid down on the bed with her head on one of the soft pillows. She anxiously waited as Mark removed his jeans and shoes. After what seemed like ages, Mark finally climbed into the bed beside her. He propped himself up on one elbow and ever so gently traced small, light circles around her navel. "Do you know how beautiful you are?" Mark asked, letting his hand move up to one of her breasts.

Elizabeth blushed at his words. "I would not consider myself beautiful by any means." She said, looking up into his lust filled eyes. Mark smiled and said, "Well, I guess that is just a matter of opinion." He then leaned down and let his hot mouth capture one of her peaked nipples. He gently sucked it as he let one of his hands fondle her other breast. Elizabeth moaned and buried one of her hands into his short red hair. She had forgotten how wonderful a man's touch could feel.

Mark felt his erection grow even harder at the sound of Elizabeth's moan. This woman was absolutely driving him crazy. He just didn't understand how he could have known Elizabeth this short of time and already be in so deep with her. Mark made a trail with his lips from Elizabeth's breast, up her neck to her lush, full lips. He then used his tongue and softly traced the outline of her bottom lip.

Elizabeth tried to control her heavy, uneven breathing. She had no idea what was wrong with her. She had never responded to a man like this before. She stared deep into Mark's eyes and tried to fight the emotions that were building in her. She was falling in love with her boss.

Elizabeth leaned up and lightly kissed Mark's lips. She decided to enjoy herself only if it was for one night, instead of worrying about the inevitable feelings she couldn't fight anymore. Mark took her kiss as a sign of readiness and eagerness and decided to move further. He gently slide his hand down her body to her hip and ran his hand over the lacy material that kept the remainder of her body concealed from his view.

Elizabeth tensed as his hand found the top of her delicate red panties. She felt him gently tug and pull the lacy garment down her legs. Mark tossed the panties on the floor with all the other clothes they had discarded and turned his attention back to Elizabeth.

"Liz…" Mark said huskily. "We don't have to go all the way if you don't want. I can make you feel good without us having sex." Elizabeth kept her gaze on her hands that she twisted nervously in her lap. This was her last chance to stop Mark before things got way out of hand. She knew that she should stop him and prevent both of their lives from becoming more complicated, but something deep inside her wanted this. She wanted to be his, even if it was for only one night.

"No." Elizabeth spoke. "I want this Mark." With that Mark hungrily captured her lips once again. This time though, the kiss was rough, as if he couldn't hold back his passion and desire any longer. Mark crushed Elizabeth's soft, full lips beneath his own. He had never wanted a woman this badly before. "I want you Liz." He whispered into her ear, as he brushed a wisp of hair from her flushed face.

Elizabeth wrapped her slender arms around Mark's neck and starred deeply into his emerald green eyes. "Have me then."She said, arching her body towards him. That was all the encouragement Mark needed. He then hastily parted her legs and positioned himself between her knees. Then in one swift movement he slid his cock deep inside her.

Elizabeth gasped at the feel of Mark inside her. She could already feel the wonderful sensations starting to build deep in her. "You feel so good." Mark growled as he began to move inside of her. He started the pace slow, wanting to make this enticing pleasure last as long as possible. Elizabeth moved against Mark, wanting as much as he was willing to offer. "Mark…" Elizabeth whispered breathlessly as she moved impatiently against him trying to quicken the pace. Mark chuckled and replied, "So impatient little girl." Sensing her urgency though, Mark quickened the pace and began thrusting hard and fast.

Elizabeth dug her nails into his shoulders as she hung onto him. She closed her eyes and let the spectacular sensations she was experiencing take her to new heights. "Mark!" Elizabeth moaned, as she bucked against him. Mark could feel her muscles tightening down around him. "That a girl. Come for me Liz." Mark coaxed.

Mark's words sent Elizabeth over the edge. "Oh Mark!" She cried out, as ecstasy washed over her. Mark groaned as he thrust one last time into Elizabeth and released his seed deep inside her. He lay collapsed on her for a few moments before rolling off of her and onto his back. They both lay there in the darkness trying to regain control of their breathing and drifting back down from the mountain they had climbed.

After a few moments had passed, Mark reached across the bed and pulled Elizabeth to him. Neither one of them said a word, they both just laid there in silence until they drifted off to sleep.


	29. Chapter 29

The soft pitter patter of rain falling outside awoke Elizabeth from her deep slumber. Where was she? What time was it? She slowly sat up looking around the dimly lit room. The panic didn't hit her, until she saw Mark stretched out beside her. The events of earlier that morning came rushing back to her.

Elizabeth's hand flew to her mouth as she tried to stifle a small gasp that escaped from between her lips. She had slept with Mark! What was she going to do now? She had slept with her boss and there was nothing in this world that could change that fact.

A deep groan escaped from Mark as he shifted positions in his sleep. Elizabeth quietly threw her feet over the edge of the bed and stood up. She had to hurry up and get out of here before Mark woke up. Maybe since he had been so drunk he wouldn't even remember their actions that had occurred earlier that morning.

Elizabeth tip toed around the bed to Mark's side and grabbed the black robe that lay crumpled on the floor. She quickly slipped it on and headed toward the door. Elizabeth had her hand on the door knob and was about to open the door, when the nausea hit her. She was going to get sick.

Mark awoke to the unpleasant sound of someone getting sick. What the hell is going on? He thought to himself as he hurriedly sat up to scan the room. The sudden movement caused his head to spin though and he groaned. He must have been pretty drunk last night, because he had one hell of a hang over this morning.

Mark threw his feet over the bed and headed toward the unpleasant sounds that were coming from his bathroom. When Mark reached the bathroom, he discovered Elizabeth on her knees in front of the toilet. The unpleasant sounds were coming from her as she keeled over the white porcelain structure.

Elizabeth pulled herself back away from the toilet and leaned against the side of the bathtub. She brushed a strand of hair away from her sweaty forehead and took a deep, shaky breath. She closed her eyes and willed her uneasy stomach to calm down.

Mark stared at the pitiful sight of Elizabeth slumped against the side of the bathtub and tried to make sense of why in the world she was in his bathroom at the crack of dawn. "Are you okay?" Mark's voice echoed across the still bathroom. Elizabeth's eyes fluttered open and she fixed her gaze on Mark's big frame standing in the doorway. "I'm not for sure." She replied, closing her eyes again.

Given her current state, Mark decided to wait on asking her for an explanation on why she was in his bathroom. "I'll get you some water." He said, as he turned and headed for the kitchen. He only made it halfway across the bedroom, when the scattering of clothes over the floor caught his attention.

His clothes were strung out in rumpled piles across the floor, but the thing that caught his eye the most was the pair of red panties and matching red bra. What was a pair of panties and a bra doing in his bedroom floor? He didn't remember bringing home anyone from the bar.

Mark sat down on the edge of his bed and jogged his memory. He remembered leaving the bar and getting home. He remembered coming inside and breaking the vase. He remembered Elizabeth coming downstairs and cleaning the mess up. He then remembered Elizabeth helping him upstairs to his room and then heading off to bed. He also remembered going after her and…

Realization sank in as Mark sat there. He had slept with Elizabeth and he only vaguely remembered it. Mark cursed and ran a hand threw his hair. What in the hell was he going to do now?


	30. Chapter 30

Elizabeth sat in the bathroom floor, with her head leaned back against the bathtub. About ten minutes had passed since Mark had left to retrieve her some water and he had still not returned yet. What was taking him so long? She slowly pulled herself up off the cold floor and walked toward the bedroom. When she rounded the corner and entered the bedroom, she was surprised to see Mark setting on the edge of his bed.

"Mark?" Elizabeth asked, slightly leaning against the wooden door frame. Mark slowly looked up and met her eyes. "Is everything okay?" Elizabeth asked, beginning to get a little nervous. "I…" Mark began. "I'm sorry." Confusion threw itself across Elizabeth's face. Sorry? What was he sorry for?

"I don't understand." Elizabeth said, as she crossed the room and took a seat on the bed beside him. Mark took and deep breath and ran a frustrated hand through his short red hair before beginning again. "I was drunk and that wasn't supposed to happen."

Elizabeth heard the alarms go off in her head. He remembered what they had done. She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and cleared her throat. "It's alright." Elizabeth began. "Sometimes things just work out like that." Mark turned to stare at her. Why in the hell was she being so calm about this? He was certain that they hadn't used any protection. It seemed to Mark that the thought of getting pregnant with his child, should be more alarming to her than what it was.

Mark looked at her like she was crazy. "Why are you being so calm about this?" He asked, as he searched her face for answers. "Does the thought of getting pregnant with my baby, not scare you too death?" Elizabeth felt her face burn. She had not even thought of that possibility, given her current situation.

"Well I…I…I…" Elizabeth stammered as she tried to find a decent explanation to give him. "I'm sure everything will be fine." She said, as she stood from her seat on the bed and faced him. Mark stood and walked over to his dresser. He pulled out a pair of sweats and angrily pulled them over his muscular hips. "I can't believe this has happened." Mark said in a hushed tone, as he tore one of his t-shirt off of hanger that hung in his closet and jerked it over his head. "This is probably the stupidest mistake that I have ever made."

"Mistake?" Elizabeth asked, as question filled her eyes. "This was nothing but a mistake to you?" She said, her voice rising with each word. "What about the kiss you gave me and the time we spent together?" Mark spun around and starred at her. He had never heard her raise her voice to anyone before and it surprised him that she would have the courage to do it to him. "Don't raise your voice at me Ms. Andrews, for I am your boss and it is never a good idea to bite the hand that feeds you." Mark said coldly, as he kept his face emotionless.

Anger and tears clouded Elizabeth's vision and thoughts as she tried to think. "Well, since I was nothing but a mistake to you, then you mind what I am about to say." "Oh?" Mark said. "What might that be?" "I quit." Elizabeth said, in a deathly quite voice.


	31. Chapter 31

Two months had passed since Elizabeth had quit her job as Mark Callaway's housekeeper. It also had been two months since she had moved out of his extravagant house and two months since he had vanished from her life. The morning Elizabeth had quit after her and Marks heated words, she packed all of her possessions and called Carrie to come get her. Once in the car and safely away from Mark's cold gaze Elizabeth broke down. She sobbed as she told Carrie about the night before and about this morning and how Mark had been so cold and uncaring.

The two had stopped at a cheap, rundown diner for lunch at Elizabeth's protest. They had only went in after Carrie had insisted upon buying lunch knowing that Elizabeth must save every penny for her future that was now in the unknowing hands of fate.

After lunch they had traveled back to the crummy apartments where Elizabeth had lived before her employment with Mark. The landlord Mrs. Jenkins had been nice and cooperative and agreed to let Elizabeth move back into her old apartment if she could provide the first months rent. The two girls had put their money together and between the two of them managed to make the first months rent.

Once back inside the old apartment the two girls had silently unpacked the few possessions that Elizabeth had brought with her. All the furniture that Elizabeth had left behind was now gone, long ago thrown out and forgotten. "Oh Liz!" Carrie had sighed, turning to face her friend. You don't even have a bed here to sleep on and in your condition you sure as hell don't need to be sleeping on any cold, drafty floor.

Elizabeth had sighed and rubbed her temples with the tips of her fingers. She had known that she shouldn't be sleeping on any cold floor in her condition but right now she really didn't have any other option.

She had managed to find a job as a waitress at Ramero's, a small restaurant just a block away from her apartment. The pay was terrible and she only worked three days a week, but a job was a job when the pickings were slim. The past two months had been hard on Elizabeth. Hard emotionally and financially. She had somehow managed to keep up on her rent and she ate for free at the restaurant, but anything else was a different story.

Currently Elizabeth sat on the pallet of blankets that served as her bed. It wasn't the best sleeping condition, but it definitely was better than nothing. She had been reading one of her favorite books and had just finished a chapter and decided to take a break. Elizabeth sighed and closed her eyes. She let her mind wonder as she thought about her current situation and what direction her life was going in. She was now 19 weeks along and visibly pregnant.

Elizabeth still hadn't been to see a doctor considering the fact that she still didn't have a way to pay for one. She groaned with frustration as she sat her book down and rose to her feet. She had never seen herself going in this direction all the times she had imagined her life. She had never seen the hardships that had came or the ones that were to come.

Elizabeth shook her head as if to clear the troublesome thoughts from her head. No use pondering over what could have been she thought to herself as she headed to the kitchen to get a drink. She had just entered the kitchen when there was a knock at the door. Who in the world could that be? Elizabeth slowly walked over to the front door and unlocked the deadbolt.

She then grabbed the knob and gently swung open the heavy door. Shock enlightened her face as she faced her guest. "What are you doing here?" She stammered in disbelief. Words couldn't make their way out of Mark's mouth. He only simply stood and stared. Stared at the small bulge that had formed on Elizabeth's abdomen.


	32. Chapter 32

"Shit." Mark muttered under his breath, as he ran a hand through his short, red hair. A million thoughts ran through Mark's head as he starred at the woman before him. She was obviously pregnant, but surely it wasn't his baby. He had only tracked Elizabeth down to merely apologize for his crude behavior and to offer her back the job she had given up.

"I would really like to know what the hell is going on here." Mark said between gritted teeth, as he stuffed his hands into his jacket pockets. He was trying really hard to keep control of his anger and disbelief, but his frustration with the whole situation kept threatening to take over his control.

"Mark, I can explain." Elizabeth whispered, as she stepped back to allow Mark to enter her apartment. What in the world was she going to do? She never imagined that she would see Mark again, let alone have to explain her situation to him.

"You see..." Elizabeth began. Mark starred at the woman that stood before him who was trying her hardest not to cry. She looked frail and tried. He listened to Elizabeth stammer through a few more sentences before he spoke. "Is it mine?" He asked, his voice direct and hard, as his eyes burned through her.

"No." Elizabeth said quietly, as she looked down at the floor ashamed. Relief didn't flood over Mark like he thought it would once he discovered the child wasn't his. This woman was alone and had no one to take care of her or her unborn baby. Mark felt something tug at his heart, as he watched a big tear roll down Elizabeth's cheek.

"I'm so sorry it had turn out like this Mark." Elizabeth said, as she wiped the tear from her cheek. "I completely understand your anger and quite frankly I wouldn't blame you if you never spoke to me again." Mark sighed and closed the distance between the two of them. His hand automatically found it's way under her chin and lifted her tear streaked face to look at him.

"I am angry and frustrated, but I think it would be a little harsh if I just stopped talking to you." Mark said, as he gazed down into Elizabeth's tear glazed eyes. "Why don't we go to lunch and you can explain everything to me then?" Mark suggested.

Elizabeth hesitated and worry crossed her face. "I'm afraid that I can't afford lunch right now." Elizabeth said, her face flushing with embarrassment. "Well, I had no intention of you paying." Mark said, as he reached for her coat that was hung on a nail by the front door. "Besides, you look like you could use a good meal." He said, as he held the coat up for her.

Elizabeth reluctantly slipped her arms into the sleeves of the coat. Mark opened the apartment door and waited for her to step outside into the hall. Once both of them were in the hall, Elizabeth fished the key from her pocket and locked the door behind them.

They both walked in silence to the outside of the apartment building to the busy street. The cold January air was brutal as they walked to Mark's truck. Mark hit the unlock button on his key ring and the lights on the truck flashed to life.

He opened the passenger door and waited for Elizabeth to step up into the cab. Once she was safely inside the warm cab, he swung the door of the cab closed and rounded the truck to the driver's side.

Once inside, he turned the key in the ignition and the truck roared to life. They pulled away from the curb and into the late afternoon traffic. As they drove in silence, Elizabeth quickly scanned her head for the right words to say, because very shortly she was going to be explaining herself to Mark.

Elizabeth leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes. She prayed for the strength and the words to make Mark understand. As they pulled into the parking lot of Longhorn Steakhouse, a local restaurant in Jefferson, Texas, Elizabeth opened her eyes and prepared herself for the task that lay ahead. Hopefully her prayers would be answered in time.


	33. Chapter 33

Mark swung the truck into an empty parking space and killed the engine. He then opened his door and got out of the truck, before proceeding to make his way around the side of the truck to the passenger door. He opened the passenger door and waited politely for Elizabeth to exit the truck. Elizabeth carefully lowered herself from the truck cab and waited as Mark closed the door and hit the switch on his key ring to lock the doors. "Shall we?" Mark said, as he turned to make his way towards the restaurant.

Elizabeth followed Mark closely as they quickly made their way across the parking lot. Once inside the restaurant, the hostess seated them in a booth and handed them both menus. "Your waitress will be right with you guys." The hostess said with a smile, as she made her way back up towards the front of the restaurant. They sat in silence as they both skimmed the menu for something that would catch their eye.

As promised, the waitress appeared at their table and with an overly friendly smile and replied, "What can I get you guys?" "After you." Mark replied, setting his menu on the table. Elizabeth turned to the waitress, who's bleach blonde hair was escaping from the bun on top of her head. "I believe I will have the southwestern chicken with mashed potatoes and just a water to drink please." The waitress scribbled the order down on her note pad and turned to Mark with a big, warm smile on her face. "How about you darlin'?" The waitress said, as she batted her lashes.

It was all Elizabeth could do, to keep from cracking up. This woman was making a way too obvious attempt at catching Mark's attention and the whole scene was rather amusing to watch. "I will just have a 12-ounce steak, with a baked potato and a Bud light to drink." Mark said, his eyes unmoving from Elizabeth's face as he handed the menu to the waitress. A deep frown marked the waitress's face, as she realized that she had failed to gain Mark's interest and she hurriedly wrote his order down too.

"I will be back with your drinks." The waitress muttered, as she walked away. "So, shall we get on with this explanation?" Mark suggested. Elizabeth sighed and looked down at her hands that were folded in her lap. "I suppose." Elizabeth said quietly as she looked up to meet Mark's gaze. "The truth is, I was a couple of months pregnant when I began working for you." "I was dating this guy and we were living together when I got pregnant." Elizabeth paused as the waitress sat their drinks on the table. She waited until the woman had walked away before she began her story again. "He kicked me out when I informed him that I was pregnant, because he is a well off, respected doctor and he was ashamed that he was having a baby with a nobody like me." "I guess he thought it would hurt his image if people knew he was dating this "white trash" girl as he put it, and that he had knocked her up." Elizabeth finished, as she lowered her ashamed gaze to the table."

Anger flooded through Mark as he took in Elizabeth's words. How dare that man to get her pregnant and then walk away! Mark starred at the woman before him and realized all of the burden she was having to carry. "Does he help you financially or at least check in on you?" Mark asked. Elizabeth looked up at Mark as she spoke. "Once he kicked me out, he cut me off financially also and I haven't seen him since the day before I came to work for you."

"So, you came to work for me to support yourself and this baby?" Mark asked, as he took a large gulp of his beer. "Yes." Elizabeth replied. "I was going to tell you eventually that I was pregnant, I was just afraid that if I told you up front, you wouldn't give me the job." Mark sat in silence as he thought about the situation at hand. This girl really had no one to help her and she was too stubborn to just come out and ask for help. "Are you working right now?" Mark asked. Elizabeth took a sip of her water before she answered. "I work three days a week at a restaurant called Ramero's." "It's just a block away from my house and it pays my rent, so I can't complain."

Each were quiet as the waitress returned with their food. The waitress had been gone for about 10 minutes and they both had dug into their food, before Mark spoke again. "Have you seen a doctor?" Mark asked, as he cut through his steak with his knife. "No." Elizabeth replied as she stirred the food on her plate. "How far along are you?" Mark questioned, as he took another sip of his beer. "I'm almost 5 months." Elizabeth replied, as she took a bite of her chicken.

Mark let himself drown in his thoughts as he finished his meal. He could not just leave this poor girl to fend for herself. The safety and well being of her and her baby depended on him now. He would give her the housekeeping job back, so that she had a nice, safe place to stay and so that he could pay for her medical bills and expenses in turn for her work. The hard part was going to be keeping this relationship strictly business.


	34. Chapter 34

After they had finished lunch, Mark paid the bill and they made their way back out to Mark's truck. Once inside the cab, they sat in silence as Mark drove back towards Elizabeth's apartment. Elizabeth tried to keep her focus on the moving scenery that flashed by the truck's window as they drove through the small town.

Her focus was broken though, when she heard Mark's voice cut through her thoughts. "I want you to take the housekeeping job back Elizabeth." Elizabeth turned her gaze to look at Mark's face. "You're giving me my job back?" Elizabeth questioned, as she continued to study Mark's face. "Why?" She still questioned. "Aren't you upset with me?"

"I'm upset that you lied to me." Mark said, as he continued to stare straight ahead as he smoothly glided the truck down the quiet street. "I'm even more upset at the son of a bitch that put you in this situation though."

Elizabeth said nothing as Mark's words sunk in. Why was he being so nice about all of this? It wasn't his obligation to take care of her or this baby. "I'm going to pay for your finances and your doctor bills in turn for your work." Mark said, as he threw a glance at her. "I want you to make a doctor's appointment as soon as you can." Elizabeth nodded, but still sat in silence. She couldn't believe things were turning out this way. Just this morning she was so unsure of her future and now, Mark had seemed to work out all of the details.

They pulled alongside the curb outside Elizabeth's apartment and Mark cut the engine. "Lets get your things and inform your landlord that you will no longer be living here." Elizabeth nodded as she slowly opened her door and slid out. Her head swirled as she walked into the building with Mark. All of this was happening so fast and she wasn't quite for sure what to make of it.

"Where is your landlord's door?" Mark asked as they walked down the creaky, old hallway. Elizabeth pointed to a door at the end of the hall, but still remained silent. The shock of all of this was still setting in on her. She had never expected to see Mark again, let alone ever go back to live at his house and work as his housekeeper for a second time.

"You go gather up your things and I will go talk to your landlord." Mark said, as he made his way towards Mrs. Jenkins' door. Elizabeth nodded once again and headed towards her apartment. She unlocked her front door and gently let the door swing open. Before she entered the small apartment, she closed her eyes and took several deep breathes to steady herself and calm her nerves. The effect Mark had on her mind and body was almost numbing. As if she couldn't even think anymore when she was around him.

Elizabeth made her way into the apartment and grabbed a small bag out of the living room closet. She then carefully began to place what few belongings she had into the bag. She had just zipped up the bag when Mark walked through the door. "Everything is settled." Mark replied, as he eyed Elizabeth's weary face. "Are you done in here?" "Yes." Elizabeth replied as she draped the strap of the bag over her shoulder.

"Well, let's lock up then and I will go give your key to Mrs. Jenkins'." Elizabeth locked the front door and then handed the key to Mark. She made her way towards the front of the apartment building as Mark dropped the key off. She stood there reading the fliers on the bulletin board as she waited for Mark. She wondered how Mark was going to act once she was living in his house once again. Was he going to pretend like nothing ever happened between them?

Despite however Mark was going to act, Elizabeth knew one thing for certain. Now that Mark knew she was pregnant with another mans child, there was no way he was going to want anymore nights like the one they had previously.


	35. Chapter 35

Elizabeth pulled her mind away from her thoughts as she heard Mark's heavy footsteps approaching her and she turned to face him. "Ready?" He asked. Elizabeth nodded and followed Mark out of the apartment building and out into the cold January air. It was strange for Texas to be this cold during its winter months, but this winter had seemed to be especially forceful and brutal. Mark hit his keyring and the trucks lights flashed as the doors unlocked. He opened the door for Elizabeth and once she was inside the cab, he made his way around to the other side and climbed in.

A very light snow had begun to fall as they drove along the quiet streets back to Mark's house. "I haven't seen snow down here in Texas in years." Mark said, not taking his eyes off the road. "I know." Elizabeth agreed. "It is very rare to see any snow this far south." The trucks headlights flashed across the front of the big, brick house as they pulled into the drive. Mark pushed the garage door opener that hung from the visor on the driver side and waited as the garage door opened. He then pulled the truck into the garage and and once again hit the opener to close the door behind them.

They were both quiet as they made their way into the house. Once inside, Mark shook off his jacket and tossed it on a nearby chair. "I have some business I have to attend to, so if you would like to take your things upstairs and freshen up a little, feel free to." He instructed as he pulled his cell phone out of his jacket pocket. "There aren't many groceries in the house, so I figured we would go out for dinner and then tomorrow you can go shopping for whatever groceries you wanted." "Alright." Elizabeth said. "I suppose I will see you in a bit then."

Later...

Elizabeth had showered and changed and was now laying on her bed, propped up on pillows reading a book. Being back in this house had a calming effect on her, but still being around Mark made her nerves hit the roof. There was no doubt in her mind that she had never been attracted to someone before as she was Mark. She knew deep down that she really did want what her and Mark had shared that night. She wanted to be the woman he came home to. She wanted to be the woman he loved. She wanted to be his everything.

Elizabeth shook the thoughts from her head and tossed the book on the bed. She had to stop thinking so foolishly. The situation was what it was. She was pregnant with another mans child and there was no way that someone like Mark was going to want to get involved in the big mess that was her life. Hell, she didn't blame him for not wanting to get involved either. Elizabeth closed her eyes and tried to push the unsettling thoughts from her mind as she drifted off for a nap.

Mark took a drink of the beer he was holding and stared into the fire that was roaring in the fireplace. What in the hell was he going to do? He sure had a mess on his hands. This woman obviously had no one in the world. No one at all to help her. No one except him. Mark sighed and drained the last of his beer. Everything would be so much simpler if he hadn't have slept with her. He may have been drunk and not have remembered that night very well, but what he did remember he couldn't get out of his head.

After Melanie and her betrayal he had sworn off women except for the occasional piece of ass. Liz was so different than Melanie though. She seemed so naive and wholesome. Mark shook his head and sat the empty beer bottle down on the bar. That was the problem with women though. They were so good at fooling you. Melanie had played him for everything he was worth and he hadn't even seen it coming. He had been a complete fool.

Mark checked his watch and then headed for the den door. They had better get a move on if they were going to go out for dinner. He headed up the stairs towards Elizabeth's room. He had to keep his distance from this lady or he could end up hurting her and that was something he didn't want. He now just had to come up with a plan to make himself follow through with keeping his distance.


	36. Chapter 36

Dinner had went well for Mark and Elizabeth. The only thing mentioned about Elizabeth's baby, was that she had a doctor's appointment tomorrow at 2 pm that Mark had made for her. When he had told Elizabeth that he was going to take her, she had politely told him that was not necessary, but Mark was stubborn and he insisted upon going.

Later...

Elizabeth waited in the den for Mark to get home from working at the bike shop in town that he owned. She heard the front door open and a few seconds later, Mark's big frame appeared in the door way. "I'm filthy." Mark said, looking down at his clothes. "Let me shower and we will go." Elizabeth nodded and watched him disappear from the room. Elizabeth was nervous and a million questions were running through her head. What would the doctor say? Would everything be alright with the baby? Elizabeth's thoughts were cut short by the ringing of the phone. Elizabeth got up from the sofa she was sitting on and grabbed the receiver off of the hook.

"Callaway residence." Elizabeth said into the receiver. "Let me talk to Mark!" The voice screeched from the line. Elizabeth closed her eyes and sighed. It was Melanie. "He is in the shower. Can I take a message?" Elizabeth asked with forced politeness. "Sure." Melanie replied. "Tell him I enjoyed seeing him the other night and I can't wait to see him again." Elizabeth's heart sank. Mark was still seeing Melanie? "Sure, I will tell him." Elizabeth said calmly, as she hung up the receiver.

Mark had just tugged his black t-shirt on over his head, when he heard his cell phone ring. He picked it up off of the dresser and looked at the caller id. Mark cursed under his breath and let the call go to voice mail. He was not in the mood to deal with Melanie. She had been trying to reach him a lot lately. What in the hell could she want? Mark shrugged the thoughts of Melanie off and walked downstairs to meet Elizabeth.

Later...

A picture of Elizabeth's baby filled the ultrasound screen. She watched as the baby wiggled and kicked. She looked over at Mark, who seemed to be mesmerized by the image also. The appointment so far had went very well and the baby appeared to be doing fine. The ultrasound tech turned to smile at Elizabeth and asked, "Would you and Daddy like to know the sex of the baby?" Daddy? This lady thought her and Mark were together and that this baby was theirs. Elizabeth groaned inwardly and looked at Mark. He didn't seem effected by the lady's words.

Elizabeth turned back to the lady and smiled. "Yes." She replied. The ultrasound tech moved the wand over Elizabeth's abdomen. "Well." The lady said, "It's a boy." Elizabeth smiled at the image on the screen. A boy. She was having a precious, baby boy. Elizabeth looked over at Mark just in time to see a slight smile curve his lips.

Later...

Here is a card with your next appointment date and time on it. The receptionist said, as she handed the card to Elizabeth. "Thanks." Elizabeth replied, as she took the card and waited as Mark handed the lady his credit card to pay for the visit. The receptionist handed Mark a receipt and they turned and headed for the door.

Geoff came out of one of the examination rooms and headed to the front desk to give the receptionist the chart he had. He normally wasn't in this building, but they were short staffed lately and he was having to work between his office and this building to help cover extra shifts. Just as Geoff go to the front desk, he got a glimpse of a lady with curly, red brown hair walk out of the clinic door with a very big, red headed man. "It can't be." Geoff said to himself.

Geoff handed the receptionist behind the desk the chart he had in his hands and said, "Judy, who was that patient?" Judy scanned the papers before her and said, "Elizabeth Andrews." "Why?" "Is everything okay doctor?" "Yes, of course." Geoff said turning to leave. "I just thought I knew her, but I don't."

Later...

The doctor's office had been quiet for some time now. Everyone had gone home but Geoff. He had stayed late, pretending to be busy with some paperwork, waiting for Judy to leave, so he could get a better look at Elizabeth's paperwork. Geoff went to the front desk and sat down in Judy's chair. He flipped through the stack of files on her desk until he came across Elizabeth's. He opened it. It had to be his Elizabeth, he thought. The name matched and the due date was right with what hers should be. Geoff pulled out the copy of the credit card receipt and looked at the name on the bottom.

Who the hell was Mark Calaway? Why was he paying for Elizabeth's appointments? Geoff checked the address on the chart. So that is where she went. Geoff thought to himself with a sick grin. He had went to pay the whore a visit a few months ago and she was no where to be found. The apartment was empty and all her things were gone.

Geoff grinned sickly to himself as he thought about what he would do to Elizabeth now that he had found her. That bitch would learn that she was his to fuck whenever he wanted. He would teach her to run from him. Besides, if she didn't cooperate he had the matter of her unborn baby to dangle over her head!


	37. Chapter 37

Mark sighed as he drove his truck along the dark, quiet street. He was just getting back into town after being on the road for a few days. He was beat and having to go home to be around a woman that tempted him beyond his means, was torture. Ever since Elizabeth had moved back into his house a month ago, Mark had been on edge. He had feelings for the woman no doubt, but she was pregnant with someone else's baby. Even if the guy was a complete jerk, it was his baby not Mark's.

Mark was mad at himself for letting himself develop any sort of feelings for Elizabeth outside of a professional relationship. Since she had moved back in though, Elizabeth hadn't said a word about the night they had slept together, so Mark hadn't either. Maybe she was trying to forget it?

Mark sighed as he pulled into the driveway. He knew deep down that it would be in his best interest too, if he could just forget that night also. Mark unlocked the front door and stepped inside. The smell of hot food met him as he dropped his stuff by the door and made his way towards the kitchen. Mark's jaw hit the ground when he entered the kitchen. He seen Elizabeth careful balanced on the kitchen counter trying to get something out of one of the high cupboards.

"What in the Sam hell do you think you are doing?". Marked boomed. Elizabeth jumped at the sound of Mark's big voice and lost her footing. In an instant, Mark was there steadying her. He slowly lowered her to the ground, but didn't take his eyes off of her face. "You could have been hurt. " Mark said huskily, as he realized how close their bodies were. Elizabeth swallowed hard and looked up into his green eyes. "I was being careful." She replied. "I need a pot that is up there." Mark sighed and said, " I know you were being careful, but you are pregnant and shouldn't be climbing."

Elizabeth knew he was right deep down. She shouldn't have been so careless since she was pregnant. "I'm sorry." Elizabeth said, the tears evident in her voice. "Don't cry.". Mark said, as he pulled her towards him in an embrace, which was made kind of difficult by her almost 6 month pregnant belly. "I just worry is all. " Mark said, stroking her hair.

Elizabeth looked up at him with big tear glazed eyes. "You care?" She murmured, wiping a tear from her cheek. The look on her face totally caught Mark off guard. She needed him and Mark knew it. "Fuck it. " Mark muttered has he bent and captured her lips in a firey kiss. Elizabeth wound her arms around Mark's neck and leaned into him. This is what she needed. She hadn't been able to get him off of her mind. She wanted him, even if it was just for a short time again.

Geoff sat outside the large, two story, brick housing watching and waiting. He had seen Elizabeth go into the house earlier when she had got home from grocery shopping and there was no doubt that it was his Elizabeth. He had seen the big man come home a few minutes earlier. This had to be his house. Were him and Elizabeth dating? Geoff smiled as he started his car engine and pulled out into the street. Geoff was a patient man. He would have to be patient and wait for the big man to leave again, so he could have his way with Elizabeth!


	38. Chapter 38

Mark finally broke the kiss to drag air into his lungs. "I think we should take this upstairs." Mark said, as he gently stroked Elizabeth's cheek with his thumb. Elizabeth nodded in agreement. Taking it upstairs sounded like a great idea to her. Mark took her hand and lead her towards the stairs. The sound of the doorbell made them both freeze.

Mark cursed and looked at Elizabeth. "I wasn't expecting anyone." She said, as she tried to read Mark's expression. Mark walked over to the door and opened it. "What do you want?" Mark asked, his voicing becoming louder with irritation. "I was wanting to talk to you." A familiar voice said. Mark sighed and stepped back to allow Melanie to step into the room.

As soon as she stepped into the room, she caught Elizabeth's gaze. Melanie's eyes dropped to the bump on Elizabeth's abdomen. "She's pregnant?" Melanie asked, disbelief forming in her voice. "It's not yours of course, right?" Melanie stammered, her disbelieving eyes looking to Mark. Mark smiled and thought for a moment. He wasn't going to lie to Melanie, because that wasn't his way, but he might be able to have a little fun out of this. "So what if it is?" Mark said, throwing Melanie a polite smile. "Would there be a problem with it?"

Melanie's face flushed and she looked between Mark and Elizabeth. "I just...just...just..." She stammered. "Yes?" Mark said, encouraging her along. I just never seen you having a baby with someone like her." Anger clouded Elizabeth's mind. What was that supposed to mean? That she wasn't good enough for Mark? "You don't think so?" Mark said, walking over to where Elizabeth was standing and wrapping his arm around her. "No wait." Mark said. "You expected me to have a baby with someone like you, right?" "Someone who lied to me, cheated on me and used me for my wealth, right?"

Melanie stammered, "Mark, that was a long time ago." "I actually came to talk to you, because I wanted to give us another try, you know like old times." Mark dropped his arm from around Elizabeth and stepped towards Melanie. "You want me to give you another chance?" He asked. "Well, yeah." Melanie replied, running her hand over Mark's heavily muscled arm. "I mean we were so good together after all."

Mark got deathly quiet and looked Melanie square in the eye. "Woman, you are crazy if you think I would ever give you a second chance." Melanie's mouth fell open. He was refusing her? Melanie turned to angrily look at Elizabeth. "Mark, you can not be possibly considering letting this little tramp come between us!" Melanie screeched, her voice becoming hysterical. "Get out!" Mark boomed. Melanie gave one last bitter look to Elizabeth and turned, leaving the house.

Once in her car, Melanie started the engine and pulled out of the drive into the street. How dare Mark to choose that little bimbo over her! She would get her back! Jefferson, Texas was a small town where everyone knew everybody. She would just ask around and find a little dirt on the bitch or try to find someone who knew her better. She would do something to get even with her!


	39. Chapter 39

Mark turned to look at Elizabeth. "Sorry about that." He said, running a hand through his short red hair. Elizabeth looked at Mark who suddenly seemed very tired and worn down. "Why didn't you tell her that baby wasn't yours?" Elizabeth asked, her eyes still on Mark. Mark's eyes shot up to Elizabeth's face. "Well, I didn't exactly tell her it was my baby." Mark said, a slight smile spreading across his lips. "After all that woman has put me though, let her think what she wants." If it bothers her to think we might be having a baby together, then let her think it."

"Let me get a beer and I will tell you the story of Melanie and I." Mark said, turning to head to the kitchen. Elizabeth went into the den to wait for Mark. She had never told Mark any of the cruel things Melanie had said to her before, but this woman's hatred for her seemed to be running deeper yet. Mark returned and flopped down on the sofa next to Liz. He took a big gulp of his beer before he started. "Melanie and I were married for quite awhile." I really loved her." I mean, I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life with her, you know?" Elizabeth nodded and Mark continued.

"I brought up the subject of having kids with her and she always turned it down." "I know I was quite a bit older than her, but before we got married we had talked and she said she wanted kids soon." "The whole not wanting to have kids thing was putting a strain on our marriage, but I had told myself I was gonna work it out with her no matter what." "That was, until I came home early from being on the road one night and found her in our bed with another man." "I went crazy." "I drug the man outside and beat the shit out of him."

"Afterwards, I told Melanie to leave and never come back." I was so angry with her, I couldn't even stand to look at her." Elizabeth watched Mark as he retold the events of his past. She could still here the hurt in his voice. "I'm sorry." Elizabeth said. "I can't imagine how you felt." Mark looked over and grinned at her. "It seems like you might have had a bit harder life than me Liz."

Elizabeth shrugged her shoulders. "Not hard, just lots of obstacles." She said, smiling up at Mark. Mark downed the last of his beer and stood. "Well, I guess I better call it a night." Elizabeth's eyes shot to Mark's face. Was this his way of letting her down easy? "Okay." Elizabeth said, standing and heading for the door. "Goodnight Mark." She called, as she left. Mark nodded and replied, "Night darlin."

Mark sighed and flopped down on the couch. He had almost lost control of himself. He had almost slept with her again. What the hell was the matter with him? He didn't act this way with women. When he set boundaries with a woman, he had no problem following through with them. There was something about Liz though, that drew him to her. It was almost as if she had him under some sort of spell.


	40. Chapter 40

It had been almost a month since Mark had lost control of everything and slept with Elizabeth again. The week had flown by for Elizabeth and Mark was supposed to be home from the road tonight. Elizabeth put the last of the folded laundry in the basket and picked it up to take it upstairs to Mark's room. Elizabeth huffed and puffed her way upstairs, the task being made a bit more challenging by her almost 7 month pregnant belly.

Elizabeth set the basket on Mark's bed and made her way back downstairs. She had dinner on the stove cooking and she needed to finish it up before Mark arrived home. Elizabeth checked the meatloaf in the oven. It needed just about 20 more minutes and then it would be done. She then stirred the mashed potatoes that were in a pot on the stove and added a little bit of salt to them.

Elizabeth heard the front door open and turned to see Mark's big frame walk into the kitchen. "Hey darlin." Mark said, smiling at Elizabeth as he tossed his bags down. "Hi." Elizabeth said, returning his smile. "Smells great in here." Mark said. "Let me shower first and then I will be down to eat." Elizabeth nodded and replied, "Okay, it will done in about 15 minutes." "Okay." Mark said and headed upstairs.

Later...

Melanie pulled up outside of a nice house and read the address she had scribbled down. The address on the house matched the one she had scribbled down. Melanie smiled as she thought to herself. She had done her homework on that little bitch Elizabeth. She had asked around town and done a background check and had learned that the little whore used to work at Clinkingbeard Law Firm as a receptionist. When Melanie had went to the law firm today, to ask some questions, she had learned that Elizabeth had worked there, until she had got herself a rich doctor boyfriend. Once the rich boyfriend was in the picture, the lady at the law firm had said that Elizabeth had quit, to move in with him and have him take care of her.

Melanie clenched her teeth as she thought about Mark and Elizabeth. So, the little bitch made it a habit of finding herself rich boyfriends, did she? Melanie got out of her car and walked up the drive. This little tramp was going to realize there was only one woman for Mark and that was her, Melanie. She thought to herself as she reached the front porch. She just had to make Mark realize that he still loved her and if she couldn't do that, then she would have to resort to drastic measures, because if she couldn't have Mark, then nobody could!

Melanie rang the doorbell and waited. A few moments later, the door opened and a man stood before her. "I'm looking for Geoff." Melanie replied, a smile spreading across her lips. "I'm him." Geoff replied. "My name's Melanie." "I have a business proposition for you, that I think you would find very interesting." Melanie said, pulling a wad of money out of her purse. Geoff smiled slyly and stepped back allowing Melanie to come in. "Lucky for you Melanie, I am a business man."


	41. Chapter 41

Geoff stood outside of the big house and watched her through the window. She had no idea that he was watching her. Geoff watched her disappear into the kitchen as he thought back to his conversation with Melanie. She was just a crazy ex-wife, who was jealous because she thought her ex-husband and Liz were having a baby together. Geoff hadn't bothered to tell her that Liz's baby was his. Let the bitch think what she wanted.

She had done some research on Liz and that was how she had managed to locate Geoff. Melanie had proposed him a large sum of money, if he would help her drive Liz away from Mark. She wanted Geoff to either convince Liz to leave Mark and come back to him or just scare her into leaving Mark alone. Geoff smiled to himself as he headed towards the front porch. Melanie had specifically said that she didn't want Liz or the baby hurt, but Geoff didn't give a fuck what this lady wanted. Liz was his and she was going to learn that. If she cooperated with him, then she or the baby wouldn't get hurt. Geoff took the key out of his pocket that Melanie had given him. She had said, that she had kept it after her and Mark divorced for emergencies.

Geoff slide the key into the lock and turned the knob. He gently opened the door and crept inside. He slowly and quietly made his way down the dim hall to the kitchen. When he got to the kitchen, Elizabeth had her back to him. She had no idea that he was even in the house. Geoff watched her, as she chopped some vegetables on the counter. He had been waiting for this moment for awhile now and he was going to definitely enjoy himself now that the time had come.

Elizabeth scraped the vegetables she was chopping off of the cutting board and into a bowl. They would make a good salad later she thought to herself, turning to the sink the wash her hands. Elizabeth washed her hands and grabbed the towel off the counter to dry them. She had just reached for the bowl of vegetables, when she heard his voice.

"Hello Liz." He said. Elizabeth froze and she felt a cold chill run all the way down her spine. She quickly turned around and came face to face with him. "What are you doing here?" Elizabeth exclaimed, panic rising in her voice. Geoff chuckled softly and slowly walked toward her. "You don't seem that excited to see me baby." He said, coming to a stop right before her.

Elizabeth felt all the blood drain from her face and she suddenly felt very sick to her stomach. How had he found her and what did he want? She thought to herself, never taking her eyes off of Geoff. "What do you want?" Elizabeth asked, trying not to let her voice quiver. Geoff smiled and slowly reached his hand out and gently stroked Elizabeth's cheek. "I want you." He said, letting his gaze linger over her swollen belly. "You have to learn Liz, that you are mine to do what I want with and running from me will only piss me off." Elizabeth shivered as Geoff's hand slowly traced over her belly.

What in the world was she going to do? Elizabeth thought to herself. She had to figure a way to keep her baby safe and get away from Geoff. "Please Geoff, leave me alone." Elizabeth begged, tears forming in her eyes. Geoff smiled and replied, "You give me what I want Liz and keep your mouth shut and don't say anything to that boyfriend of yours and everything will be fine for you."

Right then, Geoff's phone went off. "Damn it." Geoff muttered as he reached into his pocket and pulled the phone out. Elizabeth's mind flew. This was her chance to escape or at least try to get help. There was a panic button on the alarm system on the panel by the front door. If she could just make it there and hit the button, then it would signal the police. Elizabeth took off running, as fast as her almost 7 month pregnant belly would allow.

She could hear Geoff's heavy footsteps close behind her. She was almost to the alarm panel, when she felt Geoff grab a handful of her long hair. "Bitch, I warned you!" He yelled, as he threw her to the ground. Elizabeth landed on her bottom with a loud thud. This was it. She hadn't made it to the panel and now he was really mad. She had no idea what was going to happen, but she had to do everything in her power, to protect her baby boy.


	42. Chapter 42

Elizabeth looked up into Geoff's cold, cruel eyes. Geoff smiled and walked towards her. "Liz, there was a time when you enjoyed me fucking you." "Just pretend that little boyfriend of yours doesn't exist and you might just enjoy this a little." Geoff said, with a sick grin crossing his lips. Elizabeth felt her stomach flip flop. The thought of Geoff touching her ever again, made her sick to her stomach. "Stay away from me." Elizabeth said, her voice shaking. Geoff sneered, as he reached a hand down and drug Elizabeth up by her hair. Elizabeth yelped in pain and had no choice, but to follow his forceful pulling. "Who in the hell is going to make me?" He said, as he planted a painful, crushing kiss to her lips.

Elizabeth could taste blood. The force of Geoff's kiss must have caused her teeth to cut her lips. She struggled to get free, but Geoff's fingers only dug deeper into the soft flesh of her arm. Elizabeth groaned in pain under his lips. Geoff finally broke the kiss and pulled back to look at her. "See that wasn't so bad." He said. Elizabeth thought frantically for a way out of this. "Mark will be home any minute." Elizabeth said, still trying to pull away from his grip.

Geoff threw back his head and laughed. "I know for a fact that he won't be home for a few days." He said, as he let go of Elizabeth. He then reached for his belt buckle and undone his belt, never taking his eyes away from Elizabeth's face. Elizabeth quivered in fear, as she realized what his intent was. What was she going to do? She thought to herself. What if he hurt the baby?

"Take your clothes off." Geoff said. Elizabeth looked at him, all the color drained from her face. "No." "I don't want you like that anymore Geoff." She replied shakily. Anger distorted Geoff's features. How dare she tell him that she didn't want him like that anymore! "Yes you do!" Geoff yelled angrily. "You just don't know it yet!" With the anger over taking his control, Geoff reached out and slapped Elizabeth across the face. The blow sent Elizabeth staggering back into the hall wall. "I suggest you shut your mouth bitch, if you don't want another one." Geoff said, stalking towards her.

Elizabeth tried to shake the cobwebs from her head. She could feel the stinging of her cheek and she knew it was already beginning to swell. She whimpered as she knew Geoff was getting closer to her. "Come on Liz." Geoff said. "Just admit you still want me." "There is no way this Mark guy can fuck you as good as I can." With that, he reached out and grabbed Elizabeth's shirt, ripping it down the middle.

"That's better." He said, as he roughly grabbed one of her breasts. "Please stop." Elizabeth begged. Geoff ignored her protests and began to pull the rest of her clothes off. Elizabeth tried to push his hands away, but that only seemed to make him angrier. "Stop pushing me away bitch!" Geoff said, sending a blow to Elizabeth's upper back. Elizabeth crumpled to the floor in pain.

Geoff stripped the rest of Elizabeth's clothes off and quickly slide his pants down. He shoved Elizabeth onto her back on the hard ground and positioned himself between her legs. Elizabeth felt him pushing at her entrance and she felt sick to her stomach. "Geoff, please." Elizabeth sobbed. Geoff showed no sign of sympathy and ignored Elizabeth's pleas.

With a sharp snap of his hips, he sank his erection deep into Elizabeth. Elizabeth groaned at the pressure she felt in her abdomen. Geoff began a hard, vicious rhythm. Silent tears slid down Elizabeth's cheeks. She lay there as Geoff had his way with her and prayed for it to be over soon. Geoff groaned as he released his seed deep into Elizabeth. He then pulled himself up off of her and zipped up his pants. "There, that wasn't so bad." He said, as he bent to look her in the eye. "Elizabeth shook as she looked into his cold merciless eyes. "If you go to the cops Liz, I promise I will be back to finish that baby off."

Tears filled Elizabeth's eyes. How could he be so cruel? She thought to herself. "Just to make sure you don't go anywhere or call someone or do anything stupid that might endanger you or the baby, I am going to give you this." Geoff said, as he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a syringe. Elizabeth's eyes widened in fear. What was he planning on giving her? "What is that?" Elizabeth asked, starting to back up from him.

"it's just something to relax you and help you sleep." Geoff said, with a smile on his face. "Being a doctor has it's perks Liz." "You always have easy access to medications if you need them." With that, he started towards her. He grabbed her arm and started to inject the needle into her. Elizabeth struggled with all her might. For all she knew, he could be poisoning her. "Stop struggling!" Geoff screamed, as he pulled back his fist and punched her in the side of the head. Elizabeth fell with a thud to the ground. She could feel Geoff pick up her arm and she could feel the needle penetrate her skin, but there was nothing she could do to stop him.

Before he left, Geoff leaned down by her ear and whispered, "I'll see ya soon." With that he left. Elizabeth tried to clear her head and sit up, but the beating, rape and drugs were all taking effect on her body. The last thing she remembered was hoping someone found her soon, for the sake of her baby.


	43. Chapter 43

Elizabeth groaned at the pain in her head and the dull ache that engulfed her whole body. She groaned slightly and tried to force her eyes open, but she was still too groggy. Memories of what had happened earlier with Geoff came flooding back. Come on Liz! She thought to herself as she rolled over on to her side. You have to wake up! With quite a bit of effort, she managed to pry her eyes open. The room slowly came into focus and Elizabeth tried to sit up.

She winced at the pain in her abdomen as she struggled to sit up. "OWWW!" Elizabeth yelped, as she managed to pull herself so that she was propped up against the hall wall. Elizabeth sat there breathing heavy for a second. She had to get to a phone. She had to get a hold of Mark or a doctor. Slowly, Elizabeth managed to pull herself to her feet. She shakily started to make her way towards the phone, when she felt the wetness running down her leg.

Elizabeth brushed her hand against the inside of her thigh and pulled it up to her face to inspect it. Her eyes got wide with fear as she seen the bright, red blood smeared across her hand. Elizabeth made her way to the phone and picked up the receiver, dialing 911. After what seemed like ages to Elizabeth, the operator came onto the line and asked, "911, what's your emergency?" "Yes, my name is Elizabeth Andrews and I live at 1497 south Clinton road and I have been attacked." Elizabeth frantically said into the receiver. "Are you hurt?" The operator asked. "Yes, I'm 7 months pregnant and I am bleeding." Elizabeth said, as tears welled up into her eyes. "We have an ambulance and an officer on the way ma'am." "Just stay on the line with me until they get there." The operator said.

About 15 minutes later, the ambulance and officer arrived. Elizabeth had manged to pull on some of Mark's old sweats and a t-shirt while she was on the phone with the operator. She had to put a pad on too while she waited for the ambulance to try and contain the bleeding. The officer and paramedics came into the house and quickly began to examine Liz and ask her questions. "What happened?" The officer asked, as the paramedics took her vitals. "He got in some how and then when I tried to run, he beat me and then he...he...raped me." "He also injected me with something before he left that made me fall asleep."

"Did you know your attacker ma'am?" The officer asked. Elizabeth's eyes widened with fear and all the color drained from her face. He had said he would kill her baby if she told on him. "I...I...I..." Elizabeth stuttered. "Did he threaten you if you told on him?" The officer asked, squatting down so he was eye level with her. Elizabeth nodded yes, as big, silent tears slid down her cheeks. "We won't let him hurt you or your baby again." The officer said, placing a reassuring hand on Elizabeth's shoulder. Elizabeth nodded and took a deep breath. "It was the baby's father."


	44. Chapter 44

Mark ran into the hospital. He had no idea what was going on. He had just got a voice mail a few of hours ago that had said his housekeeper had been injured at his house and what hospital she was at. As soon as he had got the voice mail, he had called the hospital, but they had told him that he would have to talk to the doctor in person, since he was her employer. Mark walked up the the nurses station and said, "I got a voice mail from y'all about my housekeeper Elizabeth Andrews." "Oh yes." The nurse said, as she shifted through some files on the desk. "We had to transfer her to labor and delivery." "It's on the 4th floor." Mark nodded and took off towards the elevator.

Mark got off the elevator and walked over to the nurses station. "I'm here to see Elizabeth Andrews." The nurse looked down at her chart and replied, "She's in room 502." Mark nodded and took off down the hall. What in the world could have happened? He thought to himself. Mark reached the room and took a deep breath, then knocked on the door and opened it. She lay there in bed asleep. Mark looked at her and almost choked up at the sight of her. She had a big purple welt on the side of her head and her lips had small cuts on them and were swollen.

Mark walked over to the chair beside the bed and sat down beside her. He took her hand in his and gently stroked it. Elizabeth's eyes fluttered open and she groggily tried to focus. "Mark?" She said weakly, as she shifted in the bed. "Yeah it's me." He said, as he pushed a strand of hair out of her face.

"What are you doing here?" She asked. "The hospital called me." Mark replied, surveying her injuries more closely. "I'm sorry you had to leave work." Elizabeth said, sounding tired. "Don't worry about it." Mark said. "I talked to Vince and everything is fine." "What happened?" Mark asked. Tears welled up in Elizabeth's eyes. "Oh Mark, I don't know how it even happened!" "Shhhh...it's ok." Mark said, wrapping his arms around her. "You can tell me." Elizabeth nodded and wiped the tears from her cheeks. "He got in somehow and he told me he knew you weren't home and then he told me to take my clothes off." "I refused and he got mad." I tried to run, but he caught me and he beat me and then he...he...he rapped me." Elizabeth said, as more big, silent tears rolled down her cheeks.

Mark listened as the anger boiled through him. Who in the hell beat and rapped a woman, yet alone a pregnant one? Mark thought to himself as he tried to get his anger under control. "Is the baby ok?" Mark asked, raking a hand through his short, red hair. "I don't know yet." Elizabeth said. "They ran some tests and I'm waiting on some results."

Right then a knock sounded at the door and a doctor and a nurse walked in. "Ms. Andrews." The doctor said, as he extended his hand to her and Mark. "I'm Dr. Davis." He introduced himself as he flipped through the chart in his hand. "Well, it appears baby is fine, the heartbeat is strong." "You are not going into early labor or anything." The bleeding you were having has stopped and we checked you and it appears that the bleeding was from tissue damage that occurred when you were rapped." "Your cervix isn't damaged and that is the important thing."

Elizabeth smiled with relief. "That's great." She said. "We are going to keep you for observation tonight." Dr. Davis said. "You can go home tomorrow, as long as everything stays fine." Mark and Elizabeth thanked the doctor as he left. Elizabeth turned to Mark and smiled. "At least the baby is fine." Mark nodded and took her hand again. "Who did this to you Liz?" He asked, searching her eyes for some sort of answer. All the color drained from her face. Elizabeth closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "It was Geoff, the baby's father."

Sweet is the sight  
Of her room  
Window open, lit by candle light  
How would you know  
Cold winter on the shore  
Chills the dress she wore  
It's on the floor  
Still it feels so warm today

And that's why I'm wondering  
Why you had to tell me  
What's going on in your head  
What's wrong  
Come around another time  
When you don't have to run

And when she says she wants somebody else  
I hope you know that she doesn't mean you  
And when she breaks down and makes a sound  
You never hear her the way that I do  
And when she says she wants someone to love  
I hope you know that she doesn't mean you  
And when she breaks down and let's you down  
I hope you know that she doesn't mean you  
Yeah yeah no no  
Swing into flight  
Over hills  
Over her hills it's twilight  
Yeah I guess that's right now  
And why won't you tell me  
Why it's so funny  
That you're so funny  
When you're mad  
'Cause it's mad, so mad

And that's why I'm wondering  
Why you had to tell me  
What's going on in your head  
What's wrong  
Come around to another time  
When you don't have to run

And when she says she wants somebody else  
I hope you know that she doesn't mean you  
And when she breaks down and makes a sound  
You'll never hear her the way that I do  
And when she says she wants someone to love  
I hope you know that she doesn't mean you  
And when she breaks down and let's you down  
I hope you know that she doesn't mean you

A/N: The lyrics in this chapter are from the song She Says by Howie Day. The song is how Mark feels about Elizabeth and their relationship.


	45. Chapter 45

It had been a couple of weeks since Elizabeth had been released from the hospital and everything seemed to be slowly returning to normal. She had been back to the doctor a couple of times for check ups and everything with the baby appeared to be good. The police had let Elizabeth and Mark know that they had arrested Geoff for rape and assault based off of the DNA evidence that the hospital had collected, but Geoff had money, so he had posted bail and was free until the trial.

Elizabeth stood up and stretched from where she sat on the couch. As soon as she moved, Mark appeared in the doorway of the den. Ever since she had been released from the hospital, Mark had been acting different towards her. He hadn't been back to work yet and when she had mentioned it, he had told her not to worry about it. He was also awkward around her too, like he suddenly didn't know how to act around her.

"You need something?" Mark asked, leaning against the door frame. "No." Elizabeth said, shaking her head. "I'm just tired of sitting." "Well, you better get used to it." Mark said, pulling himself up to his full height. "I'm alright Mark." "Honest." Elizabeth said, slowly walking toward the kitchen. Elizabeth opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water. She took a sip as Mark watched her from the doorway. "I would have got that for you." Mark said, crossing his arms over his chest. Elizabeth sighed and said, "Mark I can't keep being employed here and have you waiting on me when I am the housekeeper."

Mark sighed and ran a hand through his short, red hair. "This isn't about you being employed here anymore." Mark said. Elizabeth looked at Mark in confusion. "What do you mean?" Elizabeth asked. Mark sighed and walked towards her. He grabbed her shoulders and looked down into her eyes. "You need someone to take care of you girl, before you just fall apart." He said. Elizabeth could feel the tension radiating off of him. What was he saying? That she couldn't handle things?

"Mark, I will be fine honest." Elizabeth said, meeting his eyes. "What if he comes back for you?" Mark said, his grip tightening on her shoulders. "You might not be so lucky next time Liz." "He could seriously hurt you or the baby or..." Mark said, trailing off. "I don't want someone to feel obligated to look after me Mark." Elizabeth said, shifting under Mark's steady gaze. "Obligated?" Mark said, a look of disbelief crossing his face. "You think I feel obligated?" He said, dropping his hands from her shoulders.

Elizabeth pushed her hair back from her face and sighed. "I don't know Mark." "I mean I'm not your problem." A look of hurt crossed Mark's face. "You are right." He said, as he turned and walked out of the room. Elizabeth flinched as she heard the front door slam. She heard Mark's truck roar to life and speed out of the driveway. Elizabeth sighed and sat down at the kitchen table. She didn't want Mark to feel obligated and trapped by her and this baby. She had been only trying to tell him that. She hadn't meant to hurt him or make him mad. Elizabeth buried her head in her hands and cried. She let everything that had been building up for the last two weeks spill out in a wave of emotion.


End file.
